


Twisted Fates

by Rockingham



Category: Choices: High School Story: Class Act (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Injury, Cancer, Character Death, Child Abuse, Coming of Age, Dissociation, F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mentions of Cancer, Self-Harm, Sibling Abuse, Sick Character, Survivor Guilt, Theatre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 92,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24616408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rockingham/pseuds/Rockingham
Summary: The clock ticked painfully slow as Skye sat uncomfortably between her parents in the main office of Oliver M. Berry High School. Between her mother’s icy gaze and the tension radiating off her father, it was better to just stay as quiet as possible. The hope was that she would be able to blend into her background to the point where she would disappear.Mainly Skye x Bailey, Established Skye x Lilith, Mentions of Rory x Bailey.Special thanks to rulesofthebeneath for the prompt idea!
Relationships: Ajay Bhandari/Main Character (High School Story: Class Act), Clint/Graham (High School Story: Class Act), Skye Crandall/Lilith Vidal, Skye Crandall/Main Character (High School Story: Class Act)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	1. The Girl With The Black Eye

The clock ticked painfully slow as Skye sat uncomfortably between her parents in the main office of Oliver M. Berry High School. Between her mother’s icy gaze and the tension radiating off her father, it was better to just stay as quiet as possible. The hope was that she would be able to blend into her background to the point where she would disappear.

The slight throbbing from her eye was a quiet reminder of the night before. The whole reason her parents were forced to sit in the middle of some “half-rate school’s” office. The small redhead directed her line of sight to the ground, catching sight of the dark bruising on her left knuckles. It certainly wasn’t her finest moment, she never did have a knack for normal life.

Skye was used to hospital rooms and nurses. She was used to sleepless nights and difficulty breathing and not being able to leave a small uncomfortable bed for days. That was all she could remember since the age of six after she had coughed up blood at some client’s daughter’s birthday party and had to be rushed to the hospital. She spent the next years of her life in and out of hospitals until she was officially diagnosed with chronic heart failure, the only cure being a seemingly impossible heart transplant. Skye had spent years struggling to breathe in a small white room being told over and over again by her parents and by doctors that she was going to die before she turned thirteen, and that was only if she was lucky.

Fate seemed to have other ideas. Skye couldn’t remember if she was eleven or twelve but she did remember being rushed into surgery when a heart had become available. Everything after that felt like a black and white movie coming to life. Skye spent another year and a half in intensive rehab and therapy to acclimate herself to normal life. She finished middle school online and when the doctors cleared her, she was enrolled at Hearst with her brother. 

For all of four weeks.

Her brother was the worst kind of bully, but last night he had pushed her too far. He always held such resentment towards Skye since her surgery. Probably because of everything their parents promised him once Skye was dead. Skye remembered all too well sitting in her hospital bed when she was nine and listening to her parents promise Brian that he could turn her room into his own home gym once she “would no longer be using it.” 

Last night was simply the last straw. It was one of his football games where Skye had been dragged along by her parents to support him. She watched him from the stands throw trash talk at the opposing school. It was a tech school that Brian had been talking trash about since before they even got into the car to drive over. During halftime he started flirting with the cheerleaders from the tech school and he was getting handsy with some girl who clearly didn’t want to talk to him. Skye wasn’t sure what she was thinking at the moment, but she told him to back off. 

_ “At least no one had to die for me.” _

Those words hit a nerve that Skye had tried to avoid. Ever since she woke up with a different heart beating in her chest, guilt had set harshly in her stomach. The only way for her to live was for her to obtain a heart. Someone had to die for the heart to become available. She was only alive because someone died for her. They didn’t even get a say in whether or not they helped her.

Skye doesn’t remember much past the first initial left hook to Brian’s jaw. The next thing she knew she was on her back in the grass with the taste of blood in her mouth and pain throbbing through her head. The fight had resulted in Skye being expelled from Hearst.

How it was her and not her brother was only because her parents were buddy-buddy with Principal Warren.

“Sorry for the wait,” Principal Rivera, Skye recalled her name being walked back through the door with a stack of papers in her hands.

“How long did you plan on keeping us waiting here?” Skye heard her father growl, “It’s bad enough I have to sit here, I have much more important places to be.” 

“It looks like we’re all squared away. Skye is officially registered as a student here. On probation of course because of the incidents over at her previous school.” Principal Rivera pasted on a smile and ignored the rude comment as she sat down at her desk. “Here at Berry we have a support group that I think would be a good fit for her. We’d also like to see you join a club dear, something to keep yourself involved in the community here at Berry.”

“Do my wife and I have to sit through much more of this?” Roger didn’t wait for a response as he stood up, “I trust you can get home yourself?”

He directed it at Skye. She wasn’t surprised and just nodded as her father scoffed and motioned for her mother to stand with him. Principal Rivera didn’t show much surprise at this and as soon as the Crandalls’ announced their departure she turned her full attention to Skye. As the Crandalls’ walk out, an older student with dark hair walks in and stands at attention next to the door.

“We have a tour scheduled for you as well as your schedule. Maria here is our Student Council President and she’s volunteered to give you a tour and go over your schedule with you.”

The girl, Maria, flashed a bright smile that reminded Skye of her mother’s political smile but warmer. Maria grabbed the paper that had Skye’s schedule printed on it and ushed Skye out of the office and down the hallway.

Maria was talking animatedly as she led Skye down the halls of Berry High. Bright Berry red lockers lined the hallways covered in posters advertising school clubs. Maria looked over Skye’s schedule and led her around the school to the various classrooms and other facilities.

Skye’s English and History classes were close to each other, she’d have those classes as her first two periods, then various electives depending on whether it was an A day or B day as Berry implemented block scheduling. Then she’d have Art, lunch, and Gym on A days, Computer Science and Theatre Tech on B days. Maria was explaining how everything worked between walking through the library and cafeteria.

Skye felt a bit bad having the girl show her around on a Sunday. She could have enjoyed a nice weekend had it not been for Skye getting expelled and having to enroll. Maria’s chatting about something Skye stopped listening to after a few moments when the faint sounds of voices started to carry through the hall. Skye looked up as Maria smiled and turned a bit on her heels.

“There are two different auditoriums here at Berry. The one down here is used for our theatre classes and the student run Theatre club. They put on two productions during the school year. I believe they’re working on the Fall production now.”

Maria cracked the door open and led Skye into the auditorium. A few of the actors were on stage reading lines. The second the door closes behind them the tall boy seated in the front stands and waved a hand to cut off the actors.

“We’re in the middle of rehearsal.”

The boy had a look of irritation on his face.

“Recruiting for us Maria? Dang,” A tall girl with short dark hair laughed. Maria smiled and shook her head slightly as the taller boy took a few steps closer, eyeing Skye for a moment before speaking.

“I guess we do need new blood,” The boy thought for a second, “Do you act?”

“...No.”

The boy raised his eyebrows for a moment before he schooled his features to a stoic look.

“We also need techs, you know? Set, lights, if you can code that’s even better.”

Skye didn’t really know when it became a job interview as Ajay seemed to weigh where he could place the girl. Skye looked around, she really wasn’t even sure if she wanted to join the theatre to begin with. She did enjoy watching plays on her laptop during her long stays in the hospital when her parents couldn’t be bothered to visit her. And she may have signed up for a tech class because she was curious how everything went behind the scenes… Maybe Mia had seen that on her schedule and decided to try to nudge her into joining.

“Isn’t she the girl who got into that fight at Hearst?”

The whisper caused the entire theatre to fall dead silent. Skye looked briefly at the dark haired girl who had whispered over to her chestnut haired companion who had the decency to look sheepish when a few of the other theatre kids turned to them. Maria clapped her hands, drawing all the attention to her.

“Do you mind if we stay for a few minutes? Jordan is dying to know how everyone is doing.”

The name seemed to cause everyone to calm down. Soon the attention was off Skye and on Maria. A few people called out questions about this “Jordan” who seemed to be important.

“I guess we can run through a scene or two while you’re here. Just don’t distract any of my actors.”

Maria and Skye sit at the back of the theatre while some of the actors take the stage. There really isn’t much to watch as the actors read their lines, giving small movements. It’s an early rehearsal, that much is clear. After a few minutes Skye felt a tap on her arm. She turned to see a girl smile at her brightly. As soon as she had Skye’s attention she handed her something.

“For your eye,” The girl explained after a moment, “it looks like it hurts.”

Skye’s sure her eye doesn’t look great. Last time she looked at herself in the mirror the bruising around her eye was accompanied by a nice sized cut under her eye from her brother’s football gloves. The cut had been a bit deep and since it hurt like hell Skye couldn’t use cover up without it stinging like crazy. At the last second she figured the black eye just meant people would leave her alone.

This girl, however, was smiling at her warmly with the compress stretched out to Skye. Skye awkwardly accepts the compress, it’s warm and the girl smiled brighter.

“I didn’t know if it should be warm or cold, I think warm is better with bruises.”

“Yeah,” Skye muttered awkwardly, not sure what to say to the energy radiating off this girl, “Thanks.”

The girl grinned and walked back towards the front of the theatre. Skye watched her go for a few seconds before looking down at the compress. Maria hadn’t been paying attention, messing with her phone pointed at the stage.

Skye pressed the compress gently against the bruise on her face, wincing a bit as the warmth eased some of the sting. The girl had hopped onto the stage to start a monologue. She had the script in one hand as she delivered the monologue while moving across the stage, putting emotion into every line. It’s not perfect, even Skye can tell that much. But the girl puts so much spirit into the scene as if it were a real performance, announcing each word and trying to look at the script as little as possible.

Skye felt her phone vibrate and after glancing at Maria for a moment to see if she was paying attention pulled her phone out to see who it was.

_ Lilith: Hey, wanna see a show tonight? _

Lilith was the daughter of some big-wig her parents wanted to impress. They hit it off at the beginning of the summer when Skye first stood up to Brian regarding him hitting on girls. Their relationship was… something Skye had a hard time grasping.

Lilith was a flirt, but Skye wouldn’t say the two of them were dating. Lilith would drag Skye to all kinds of concerts or clubs. If they were dating, it was casual. Skye certainly wasn’t the only girl Lilith dragged to the back of concert venues to make out with. 

_ Skye: I don’t know, I might have to lay low for a bit. _

_ Lilith: Sorry, I forgot about the expulsion thing. _

_ Lilith: You sure I can’t convince you?  _

Skye let out a bit of a sigh, Lilith wasn’t a bad person, and they did have some things in common. Skye just had days where she didn’t want to go anywhere. This was one of those days, she felt like crap already with everything her parents put her through and she just didn’t have the energy to go jumping around at a concert.

_ Lilith: Dinner? My treat, I’m dying to see your cute face. _

_ Skye: I’m sure my black eye is real cute. _

_ Lilith: on you? adorable. _

Skye shook her head a bit and felt herself give in. What the hell? It was one show and she could use some breathing room from her parents tonight.

_ Skye: Okay, I’m in. _

Lilith sends back a string of emojis as Skye puts her phone away and turns her attention back to the stage. The other actors are around the same place the girl was, but the girl held… something. Skye wasn’t sure what it was, but she enjoyed watching her on stage. Soon the rehearsal was over and Skye found herself awkwardly looking down at the compress in her hand. Skye looked over to see Maria still on her phone, now chatting animated to who Skye assumed was the same Jordon as before. After a moment she slipped away to return the compress she borrowed. The stage hands are still hanging around, talking about the different set pieces and such. A few actors hang back to talk to each other. 

Skye slipped backstage, looking around for a few moments before she heard a familiar voice from the little room off to the side, it looked like a dressing room and when Skye peeked inside she saw the same girl as before talking to an qualy animated upperclassmen with wavy brown hair.

“Hey,” The girl looked up at the sound of Skye’s voice, “Thanks again.”

The girl grinned and took the compress back. 

“I’m glad it helped. I’m Bailey.” 

The girl, Bailey, flashed a more sheepish smile. She wasn’t much taller then Skye, with long blonde hair and lightly tanned skin. Her eyes were a vibrant emerald green as they bore into Skye’s. It took Skye a minute to realize that she should probably introduce herself as well.

“Skye.”

“Are you thinking about joining the Theatre Club?”

“...Don’t know.”

Bailey nodded eagerly while the brown haired girl flashed a smirk. Before hopping into the conversation as well.

“We can always use more techs if the spotlight isn’t your thing.” 

“Oh! This is Sydney, she does our costumes.”

Skye nodded as she stood trying to think of a way to leave. Maria solved that issue as she popped her head into the room.

“I just need to show you a few more things! Then we can meet Principal Rivera before you can head out.”

“Okay,”

Skye turned on her heel and followed Maria as she showed Skye the last of the school and led her back to Principal Rivera’s office. Principal Rivera handed Skye copies of her schedule, her locker, combo, school map, flyers for various school clubs, and a handout for the support group. 

“The first session is tomorrow after school. I’ve already let Mrs. Silva know that you’ll be attending. It is part of your probation to attend, so I urge you to take this seriously. Understood?”

Skye nodded and Principal Rivera held her gaze. It was clear she wanted a verbal response. Skye was used to that look. 

“Yes ma’am.”

Principal Rivera nodded and dismissed Skye with a wave of her hand. Skye left the office with a stack of papers and walked through the halls trying to remember where Maria had said the exit was. The halls weren’t as hard to navigate as Hearst’s were and within minutes Skye pushed the main door open and walked out into the cool air.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and Skye pulled out her phone to see a few more texts from Lilith asking her to meet her at the usual spot and she would drive over to whatever venue the concert was at. 

The usual spot was the entry gate of a graveyard. It was a decent walk away and Skye sighed a bit at having to make the trek with a handful of papers. The sun set as Skye made her way through Cedar Cove. Despite having only walked around the town for the last two years of her life, Skye felt like she had a pretty decent feel for where everything was. As she turned the corner to the graveyard, she quickly noticed Lilith’s black Buick parked by the sidewalk. As she draws closer the older girl steps out of the vehicle with a smile. 

“Hey beautiful,” As Lilith draws closer she noticed the bruising on her face, “wow, you weren’t kidding about the black eye.”

Lilith raised her hand to Skye’s chin, moving her gently to get a better look at the bruise and cut by her eye.

“Maybe we’ll avoid the mosh pit today,” Lilith smiled as she opened the passenger side door for Skye. Skye tossed the papers into the back seat as Lilith made her way around and hopped into the car, “I can’t wait. Toxic Kitten is headlining.”

Skye wasn’t much of a Toxic Kitten fan, but she forced a smile as Lilith pulled onto the street. The venue was about forty five minutes away. Lilith spent that time singing along to the songs on the radio, her wind brown hair getting tossed with every light-hearted and vehicle safe headbanging. 

Lilith always wore that smile. That carefree grin that almost made Skye forget about everything going on at home. The time flew by and soon they pulled up to a crowded parking lot with Lilith bouncing in her seat as she wildy pulled into an open space on the outskirts of the lot.

Lilith is first to leave the car, running around to get the door for Skye.

“God you can feel that bass from here.”

The venue is a nightclub that Skye can’t remember the name of as soon as they walk inside. The bass pounded in her chest as the entire club lights up multiple colors and harsh music. Lilith pulled Skye closer as they got closer to the dance floor, flailing limbs and quick jerking motions to the beat greeted them as Lilith threw Skye off balance into a spin before pulling her close.

“Dance with me.”

The beat is horrid. Skye focused more on keeping more in sync with Lilith as she moved across the crowded dance floor. Lilith pulled her close until Skye could feel her dancing against her, a hand tangled into her hair and pulled her into a hot kiss.

This was how all their dates went. Lilith was always moving, always thinking of the next adventure. Always this close, but not quite there. Sometimes Skye felt like she couldn't keep up with the fast pace of the older girl's life. Loud music, dancing and kissing.

The pressure lasts a few moments before Lilith pulls away. Skye’s drawn to the warmth like a moth to a forest fire. Lilith felt like the only kind warmth that existed in Skye’s life. It held a danger to it. An addictive danger.

But… There was something missing from it that Skye couldn’t place.

Lilith's smile grew as the song changed. Her hands laid across Skye's shoulders, fingers playing with messy red hair as she danced to the beat.

"I love this song" her breath is hot against Skye's ear when she leaned in, wild hair tickling Skye's face. It was Skye's favorite part of hanging out. Just being able to be close to someone, to feel their warmth.

Her skin chilled as Lilith suddenly pulled away abruptly. 

“Hey Lils!” The voice hollered over the music as Lilith plasted a smile, a flash of panic in her eyes. She got that look sometimes and Skye had learned over time that the look meant they had been caught,“Didn’t know you were coming out to this show.”

The guy strides up with a few other people, similar in age to Lilith. One of the girls looked over at Skye.

“Who’s the kid?”

Skye snorted, she hated being called a kid by some kids a few years older than her. Lilith ignored the noise if she even heard it to begin with.

“Oh, this is Skye, she’s a friend.”

Skye feels a little whiplash at the comment, but this was how it was. Lilith never said if their relationship was official, and sometimes when Skye tried to ask about it Lilith would wave her off and Skye would get scared that if she pushed too far, Lilith would leave. She eyed the group for a moment.

“Skye, these are my friends from school.”

“Isn’t it a little late for you kid?” The guy asked as he turned to Skye, he looked to have the intelligence of a hamster, “You’re in middle school yeah?”

“High school.”

“Damn, you got whacked.” The other girl stated as she pointed to the bruising around Skye’s eye, “Rough time in the mosh pit?”

“Unrelated charge.”

“You should be careful Lil, people seeing you hang out with some twelve year old, you can get into a lot of trouble,” The hamster guy hollered over the music. 

Lilith ducked her head and Skye felt a strange guilt settle in her bones. This happened a lot when they were out together. If Lilith bumped into people she knew, they always pointed out Skye's age. Skye understood to an extent, she looked younger than Lilith.

“We were gonna bounce anyway, this band sucks.”

Skye’s a bit surprised at the comment, but doesn’t question it when Lilith started walking away. Skye gets two steps within following her before-

“Lilith sure doesn’t make out with  _ me _ at concerts like she does her other  _ younger _ friends.”

“Don’t be a dick man.”

Lilith is silent the entire walk back to the car and doesn’t make a move to open the door for Skye before they pile in. The car starts up and Lilith starts to drive back towards Cedar Cove. The silence is unbearable. Skye could feel Lilith’s embarrassment from being caught with her at the concert. 

The age gap wasn’t unknown to either of them. Lilith was a senior, she was turning eighteen in May and Skye was a few months short of fifteen with a punk complex and recently expelled trouble student.

“I don’t think this is working.”

The words cut into Skye’s core. Lilith was clearly frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair and glared out the windshield like she was trying to figure out what to do.

It was Skye's fault in the end. She was the reason they were giving Lilith a hard time. Skye understood it would be a lot easier for Lilith if they stopped hanging out.

“I’m sorry.”

Skye’s apology was quiet and she wasn’t sure Lilith heard her until she saw the girl jerk and turn. Lilith looked over at her for the first time since the concert. Her mouth hung open for a moment before.

"It's not your fault-"

"It is. Pull over."

Lilith hesitated for a moment before Skye heard the click of the blinker and felt the car pull over. Lilith didn't cut the engine, only lowered the soft music playing on the radio.

"Skye, look-"

"Don't give me that tone," Skye snapped a bit, this was painful enough she didn't need to hear Lilith's tired tone of voice like she was trying to pacify a child, "you said this wasn't working, so we don't have to keep hanging out."

"That's not what I meant."

This was stupid. This wasn’t fair. Why was it always like this?

"You don't have to stick around just because you feel sorry for me. I can handle things on my own."

It's such a lie.

Lilith hesitated long enough for Skye to grab the stack of papers and duck out of the car. She walked quickly down the street, she heard Lilith's voice ring out behind her, but she ignored it. It was better this way.

Everytime Skye had something that she cared about it was taken away. Everyone around her ended up having something happen to them because of her. Her parents had the misfortune of having a kid with a heart condition that  _ lived _ . Her brother ended up having to deal with having a sister instead of half the stuff their parents promised him if she died.

And now, she had embarrassed Lilith.

The one person who had shown her any kind of human compassion in her life besides the doctors and nurses she lived with in the hospital, and they had only been nice to her because they were paid to be. Lilith was nice to her because she liked Skye.

Skye doesn’t want to go home and she knew she probably should get something to eat since she wouldn’t be having dinner with Lilith like she had originally planned. Skye looked around at the row of stores and such until she noticed the word “Grill” light up a sign on the corner. Now for the tricky part.

Skye felt rather uncomfortable eating by herself. She felt like people were looking at her. That was the worst part about having to go anywhere by herself. Skye pulled her phone out and typed in the name of the place, checking to ensure they did take out orders. The website also had a link to the menu, which Skye greatly appreciated as this would make the entire process go much smoother. 

The place was  _ bright _ .

It was busy for a Sunday night and it was quick and almost entirely painless for Skye to place the order and hide away in the corner of the waiting area for it to be ready. She glanced at her phone the entire time, hoping that maybe Lilith would text her and let her know that it’s okay. Her phone remained silent in her hand for a time until Skye felt someone walk over.

“Here’s your order.”

Skye looked up at the voice and was surprised to see Bailey smiling at her dressed in a red waitress outfit consisting of a skirt, white button up, and red vest. She handed Skye a to-go bag and a cup. It takes Skye a few moments to really process it, and even longer to remember that she had forgotten to order a drink her first time around.

“I didn’t order-”

“I know,” Bailey smiled a bit softer, “but you looked really upset, so I thought it might help.”

Skye stared blankly, not really sure how she was supposed to continue from there. Eventually her brain caught up and she took the bag and cup from Bailey.

The cup is incredibly cold and it surprised Skye for a second before she managed to force words out of her throat.

“Thank you.”

It’s a little more sincere than before. This was the second time Bailey had wordlessly done something nice for her for no reason. She didn’t even know Skye, but she was going beyond to do something nice for her.

“So, uh, you work here?”

Skye doesn’t know why she asked, but she didn’t want the conversation to end just yet. She didn’t want to be alone. The loneliness was suffocating these days, and Bailey… was there. 

“Oh, my parents own The Golden Grill, so I help them here after school sometimes.”

Skye nodded, fumbling over her own tongue to try and have something to say. Before she could figure something out a man a few tables away called over. Bailey flashed her an apologetic look.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” Bailey asked gently as the man who called her over rolled his eyes and muttered something when Bailey didn’t immediately go over to the table.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Bailey gave a shy wave before turning to the tables she was responsible for waiting on. Skye moved back out into the cool air and started walking down the street to the park. It was usually quiet in the evenings without elementary school sports going on in the back fields. Skye slumped down onto one of the vacant benches and dug into the bag of food. She took a sip of the drink Bailey offered her, the cool strawberry flavor catching her off guard for a second until her brain pieced together that it was a milkshake. 

So much better than the pre-packaged chocolate milkshakes that used to come with kids meals sometimes at the hospital. 

The food is good, almost good enough to make her forget about her… break up? Her whatever with Lilith. Skye let out a sigh before she heard something rustle from her left. It sounded like someone stepping closer to her. When she turned she jumped and moved back against the bench. The white animal sitting next to the bench tilted it’s head in response.

A dog?

A really fluffy white dog. It sat there holding her gaze for a few moments before it pushed it’s nose closer to the burger on her lap. Skye held still for a moment before looking down at the food the dog was begging for. Skye tried to push down the childish urge to pet it. Back when she lived in the hospital, the volunteers would bring service dogs from time to time to the children with terminal illnesses to cheer them up. They were Skye’s favorite childhood memories. There was a big dog that would come visit Skye a lot. He had been so soft with big floppy ears.

Dogs ate cheeseburgers right?

Skye ripped a chunk of burger and dropped it on the ground for the animal. The white fluffball’s tail wagged excitedly as he ate the chunk in two quick bites before sitting down closer to Skye. His tail wagged happily as Skye ripped another piece of burger from her meal and gave it to him.

The dog got closer and closer with every piece until he was resting his head in Skye’s lap, tail wagging. Skye hesitated for a moment before resting her hand on his head, rubbing at pointy ears and soft, tangled fur. 

“No one wants you either huh?” Skye asked softly as she pulled a few french fries from the bag and fed them to the dog, “I feel that.”

Skye ran her hand down the dog’s back, not feeling a collar anywhere. A stray probably. Her mom had complained about the number of stray cats one night at dinner after her private driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting one on the street. Her mom’s makeup had been smudged terribly and it took everything in Skye not to laugh as she screamed at the driver as if it was his fault that she had chosen to do her makeup in the car.

The fries go quickly and the dog waits as Skye puts the garbage into the brown take-out bag.

“Sorry, that’s all I have.” Except for the milkshake, but she wasn’t sharing that and she was pretty sure dogs couldn’t have milkshakes, “I’d take you home if I could, but my mom would kill both of us.”

The dog didn’t move it’s head from her lap and Skye hated that her curfew was coming up.

“Tell you what, if I see you again I’ll buy you another burger.”

The dog raised his head to Skye’s voice and wagged his tail as if he understood. Skye scratched his ears one final time in a way of farewell.

“See you later.”

***

Monday morning came too fast. It was a day of “Introduce yourself to the class” over and over and over again. Skye was going to go mad before lunchtime. People kept whispering about her. Hearst this and that and did you know she was Brian’s sister? Skye inwardly cursed, if there was one thing she wanted to prevent it was the knowledge of her as Brian’s sister. He was the most hated guy at Berry and she was sure to get backlash because of it. Skye opted to keep her head down, keeping to herself all day until she had to meet with the support group.

They met in the theatre room after school. A woman named Mrs. Silva ran it according to the flyer Principal Rivera had handed her yesterday. When Skye walked into the room to be greeted by a few people seated in chairs in a circle. A kind looking woman smiled the second she saw Skye.

“You must be Skye, Mrs. Rivera told me you’d be joining us.” The woman smiled brightly, “please take a seat, we’re starting in a few minutes.”

The hard part about staying hidden when the chairs were in a circle layout, leaving no hiding spot where she couldn’t be seen. Skye settled on a chair off to the side, hoping at the very least no one would sit directly across from her. 

She was proven wrong quickly when a boy with black hair and glasses sat right across from her. He looked familiar. It took her a few minutes to place him as the guy from the theatre club. The bossy one with a loud voice. He seemed rather disinterested himself, so maybe it wasn’t so bad that he had chosen to sit across from her. The teen next to Mrs. Silva was from the theatre club too. They played one of the lead roles. The rest of the members trickle in, there’s about ten of them in total. Mrs. Silva looked around for a moment before smiling and wheeling herself to the edge of the circle.

“Nice to see everyone tonight. I see we have some new faces so I want to take a moment to introduce myself. I’m Brenda Silva, you kids can call me Brenda if you like. I have breast cancer, currently being treated and this here is my helper Rory. They’ll be attending meetings with me because us old people need some extra help sometimes.” Mrs. Silva has a really bright smile, she made the room feel warmer, a little more comfortable as she glanced around, “How about we go around the room and introduce ourselves. Name, age, fun facts, and diagnosis if you feel comfortable sharing that.”

Crap.

Skye’s not going to remember anyone’s name. The circle starts and social anxiety seems to get the best of her as she zoned out almost immediately while at the same time being hyper aware of how close each voice was coming to her. The space between her and the person talking shrunk every time someone spoke up. Their names and ages and issues felt like a dull buzz in her head. It makes the space between them feel even more hollow. The chair next to her to her left is empty, and it felt more so as people exchanged sympathies around her.

“Ajay Bhandari, seventeen, my leg’s made of metal and I’m the director of the Berry High Theatre Club.” 

Skye has no idea how his voice broke through her consciousness. She looked up to the otherwise bored looking older student as he leaned back in the chair. Looking down towards the ground she noticed how his right ankle did, in fact, appear to be no more than a metal rod. 

“I suffered from osteosarcoma when I was in middle school. Been in remission for three years now.”

“No need to sound cocky about it,”

A round of hushed chuckles fell over the small crowd as Ajay rolled his eyes, a bit of good-nature flashing in his eyes as he tried to look more annoyed. Skye tried to pay more attention as people introduced themselves. A few brave souls told of their diagnosis. Cancer, diabetes, illnesses terminal or otherwise. The group was a strange modge podge of people. The boy, two empty seats away from Skye, spoke up just as the door opened with a loud creak.

“Sorry!” 

Skye looked up, recognizing the voice. Her eyes widened in surprise as the girl slowly made her way into the room. She fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, flashing a nervous smile.

_ Bailey? _


	2. The Girl With The Broken Smile

Bailey fiddled in the doorway, as if unsure if she should enter. The crowd around Skye eyed the newcomer in silence for a few moments before Rory stood up with a smile. 

“Come have a seat, we were just introducing ourselves.”

Bailey gave a stiff nod as she looked around the room before she awkwardly walked over to the circle of chairs. Skye watched as the girl drew closer, opting to sit in the chair directly next to her. Bailey took a breath as the boy started up his introduction again. Skye watched the girl for a few moments seeing her grow more nervous as it became her turn. Bailey looked around for a moment before taking a breath.

“My name is Bailey Jackson, I’m a freshman. I-um, I’m part of the theatre club.” Bailey stammered a bit, talking in such a quiet voice that Skye wasn’t sure if she would be able to hear her if she wasn’t sitting right next to her, “And-uh-”

“You don’t have to say any more if you don’t want to,” Mrs. Silva said from her wheelchair, “Our stories are our own, we can tell them in our own time. You’re free to narrate your story at whatever speed you’re most comfortable with.”

The words caused Bailey to settle a bit. Skye couldn’t help but take comfort in them as well. Her parents had always told her story for her as if it was theirs. Skye didn’t get to have control over who knew all about her sickness, her surgeries, her rehab, everything was announced to pitting financial partners and investors. As she glanced around the circle, she realized no one looked at her with pity like the rich people her parents wanted to woo in their favor. They looked around with a softening expression, a look of sympathy rather than pity.

This was a new bit of freedom. Bailey took a breath next to her and started over, more confidently this time.

“I’m Bailey, I’m a freshman and I’m part of the theatre club. I was cast as the lead for our Fall production and I’m really excited to get to know all of you.”

Rory chuckled a bit from their seat good naturedly before all eyes were suddenly on Skye. The redhead sighed as she knew she’d have to give some sort of introduction.

“I’m Skye, I’m a freshman. I just transferred here.”

That’s it, that’s all she’s giving and it seems to be enough to have everyone back off as Mrs. Silva drew everyone’s attention again, her smile lit up the room as she wheeled herself to the center of the circle.

"Wonderful! Now that we all know a little bit about each other, why don't we break into two small groups and kick tonight off with some warm up chatter. One lowlight and one highlight from your weekend."

Skye didn’t pay much attention as some calm chatter filled the room. A few people moved their chairs to sit in smaller circles. Ajay and Rory pulled up to her and Bailey, Mrs. Silva in tow with a few packets on her lap. The older woman smiled in a way that felt real, not like the therapists in the hospital that Skye was used to talking to. Most of them had a “professional” smile, one that just seemed to be put on for show. Her parents had similar smiles for when they talked to clients or potential business partners. 

“Okay girls! You two are starting a little later than everyone else, so I want to take a few minutes to talk to you two and get you both caught up on some things we’ve done in the past few weeks. I like to start all therapy sessions by having you individually evaluate the areas of your life that you feel you need to improve in. We do this during our first week of sessions using these booklets,” Mrs. Silva handed Skye and Bailey each a thin booklet with a cartoon lion on the cover and Mrs. Silva’s contact information as well as Rory and Ajay’s information written in pen across the top, “Because you two are starting a little later, Rory and Ajay have offered to help you two with the individual assessments. Rory has helped me with these sessions for a few years now and Ajay has been a part of the program for two years now and was willing to lend a hand in case you two need anything or have questions on any of the pages in the booklet.”

“I drew the lion,” Rory announced proudly.

“When we have such a diverse group like we do here, it’s important to find the best ways of helping each individual person. In my years as a child psychologist this booklet has aided me in identifying where I can best assist you. These booklets contain five days worth of reflective exercises. I’d like to go over them with you two during our meeting next week. So, let’s open these up and go over each thing really quickly,” Mrs. Silva smiled as the two nodded. 

It didn’t take long to go through, each day was an activity that seemed rather simple to complete. After Mrs. Silva went over the booklet before she excused herself to speak to a few of the other groups, leaving the four to talk for a bit before they moved on to the next order of business. Rory smiled over at them, welcome and bright while Ajay seemed to don a more stoic appearance. There was a moment of silence before Ajay spoke up, zeroed in on Skye.

“You’re in one of Mr. Olsen’s tech theatre classes.” 

It took Skye a second to realize that it was directed at her. Within moments she felt Rory and Bailey’s eyes on her. 

“Yeah?”

“You should join the theatre club,” Ajay offered matter of factly, “we can always use techs. Our Fall production is a few months away and we need all the help we can get.”

“Ajay’s an aggressive recruiter,” Rory intervened, “Come on Ajay, don’t pressure people to join.”

“Can you code?” Ajay asked, ignoring Rory.

“Yes.”

“Do you like theatre?”

“... Yes.”   
“Great,” Ajay clapped his hands as if something was settled, “Theatre club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Techs meet on Saturdays as well to work without the actors there.”

Rory pulled Ajay into another conversation about the theatre club, Bailey seemingly joining in and bouncing her attention between them and Skye for a few moments. Skye sighed, she was required by Principal Rivera to join a club, and maybe theatre wouldn’t be the worst idea since she already had an interest in it. It was either join or spend her days wandering the city without Lilith to hang out with.

Skye supposed she was going to have to join the theatre club.

***

Skye ended up home late, way past the time when the Crandalls usually dinner. The downstairs was quiet, meaning her mom was probably upstairs in the master bedroom, Brian was probably in his room, and her father would be locked away in his off-limits study. Skye slipped out of her combat boots to ensure she made as little noise as possible as she crept through the foyer and up the steps. The hall was dim, but she was able to creep into her room without notifying her brother or mother of her existence as she closed the door quietly behind her and tossed the self-help packet from the support group onto her desk. 

She found herself checking her phone out of habit, waiting for a text from Lilith that never came. The two got into arguments often, more and more since Lilith’s junior year came to an end and the stress of SATs and her parents pushing her to get into a very particular college piled on to the nagging of the age difference between them being pointed out while they were out. Usually Lilith would contact her by now, apologize, and then they’d go do something that Skye didn’t particularly want to do but would do to avoid going home and to enjoy some human interaction that wasn’t hostile. Then when they fought, the look of frustration on Lilith’s face cut deep, like Skye had done something wrong. Skye scratched at her forearm at the memory, letting out a breath to try to fight off any lingering anxiety.

Lilith had enough to worry about without having to worry about Skye and her feelings. Skye worried that maybe she was too clingy, too needy, too much work and not enough payoff. 

Skye slumped down onto her desk and tossed the booklet open to the first few pages. The first page was titled “Your Life Wheel” along with an empty pie graph with several labels for several categories including; Heath, Mental Health, Family, Friends, Romance, Self-Care, School, and Spirituality.

The worksheet asked to rate those things from one to ten. It felt like homework, but with a sigh Skye figured she could do something while she waited to see if Lilith would say anything to her tonight. Maybe she should text first? Or was that not a good idea since she was the one to say things weren’t working.

Did things just… end? Without much notice or definition.

School and Health were easy topics, Skye started with those, filling the bar to a nine on both items. She was a straight A student, and despite being expelled from Hearst, she considered herself a good student and with her operation years ago for her heart and a few years of physical therapy, Skye didn’t have anything to complain about her physical health. The rest of the categories were much harder to figure out. Family was definitely rated low, friends as well since she didn’t really have any of those and romance? Yeah, she didn’t have a great track record with that either. Skye marked them all at one. She hesitated on the last two categories, not sure how to score them. Spirituality and Self-Care. She wasn’t sure where she stood in either category. She gazed over her phone, lifeless with a lack of notifications and wondered for a brief moment if she should text Rory or Ajay and ask them about the topics, what they meant, so then maybe she would know how to better rank them. 

It was getting late, this was something she could pick up tomorrow. She’ll do two exercises tomorrow to make up for the single one she hadn’t completed today.

***

The second day of classes were better. It was calmer, only a little less whispering about the girl with the black eye that got into a fight at Hearst and was expelled. The second she stepped into the auditorium her brain went into full work mode. The stage was bigger up close, leaving so many opportunities for set piece designs and lighting. Ajay was at the front of the auditorium barking orders as the actors moved across the stage, going over lines, running across the stage at different angles and positions as Ajay scribbled something onto his script with furred brow. 

Trevor showed her the ropes with the light and sound boards. Showing her how to code different effects and how to set all the modes for all the lights around the stage area. Trevor was reasonably nice, very laid back and not particularly fast-moving. Skye on the other hand was excited to dive in and start working, especially after learning the extent of what she could create with the two different boards. Trevor had also told her about how a set design was still needed and that Skye was more than welcome to sketch up any ideas for them to incorporate.

The cast is in the process of blocking the play, so there’s limited things the techs can do. A few of the techs trickled out while Skye changed walking up to Ajay. The older boy glanced up when he heard her footsteps, a stern look on his face as the actors on stage reset themselves to redo whatever scene he had commanded they do.

“Need something?” Ajay asked as he pressed the eraser of his pencil into his script, taking pieces of the paper off as well as the lead of the pencil. 

“The techs are heading out, do you need help with anything else?”

Ajay looked up to see that most of the tech had, in fact, left. With a huff he thought for a moment before pulling a new script from his backpack and snapping it to a clipboard before handing it to Skye.

“Can you take notes for me, I’ve got to get these guys sorted out.”

Skye spent the next twenty minutes following Ajay as he strode up and down the stage yelling edits or changes. After those twenty minutes Skye grew frustrated with the blocking edits that she couldn’t work into words for the script. Quick as a whip she pulled her sketchbook from her backpack and toted it with her back and forth, script balanced on one end and fast sketches of new blocking ideas on the blank pages on the other side. 

It's clumsy, Ajay stopped short a few times, causing Skye to run right into him. She muttered apologies that the boy waved off. He muttered an apology of his own when he turned and bumped Skye particularly hard, almost knocking her off her feet. If the cast found any of it entertaining, they didn't voice any thoughts about it nor did they seem to even notice Skye was there. It was like she was Ajay’s shadow, there but overlooked by Ajay’s much louder and far more intimidating presence. The only person who seemed to know she was there was Ajay, who had started to walk more cautiously so as to not run into her while she tried to follow and sketch at the same time.

“The light won’t work like that,” Skye spoke up as Ajay tried to rearrange the actors for a scene, “look, it will be blocked out.”

Ajay eyed Skye’s stretch and scratched his chin seriously. After a few moments of Ajay thinking, Skye turned the sketchbook back to her for a moment to roughly sketch out a few lines to show how the lighting could be redirected.

“If we move this here, and more Clint there…” Skye turned the book back for Ajay to review. The older boy looked it over and after a moment of thought flashed a smile and nodded.

“Perfect,” Ajay turned back to the actors, “Clint, move back three steps and to the right.”

As rehearsal goes on, Skye becomes more and more unable to tell the difference between the actors on stage and the rats in Ratatouille during that scene where the rats scramble across the kitchen after being caught by the food critic. There’s a lot of movement as Ajay works on perfecting the blocking of the scene they’re working on, glancing at Skye every few minutes for confirmation on lighting. 

As rehearsal died down, Skye almost forgot that she had wanted to ask about the workbooks. As Ajay called to release the actors, Skye felt her confidence dwindle. A familiar fear of looking stupid for asking something hit her as the actors started to trickle off the stage, a few of them hanging out for a few moments or catching up with friends before leaving. Ajay stayed behind a few minutes, reading over the notes Skye wrote up. 

“Thanks for taking notes, the sketches help as well. I think we’ll be able to finish blocking soon. Then we can focus on the set design.” 

Skye nodded as Ajay handed back her sketchbook when he was done making last minute notes in his own journal. Footsteps sound frantically from behind her before a voice perked up from close by.

“Skye! You decided to join.”

Bailey. Her voice knocked Skye off-balance in her mental war to try and ask Ajay about the worksheets. Rory is a few paces behind her, smiling their usually million watt smile that drew the attention of a few other theatre kids. Skye hadn’t learned all their names yet, she was pretty sure the two gawking at Rory the most were Clint and… Natasha? Something like that. The taller latina girl, however, Skye couldn’t remember at that moment.

“Yeah,” Skye shrugged as if it were no big deal. Bailey’s smile was so bright. Like a beacon. It made it hard to just turn away from her.

“I’m glad, I hope we can become good friends.” Bailey offered a little shyly as Rory chuckled a bit next to her. Skye fidgeted a bit at the comment.

“It’s nice to have a tech that can keep up with Ajay’s crazy,” Rory commented. Ajay however seemed to ignore the statement altogether.

“Skye, would you mind coming earlier on Thursday to help Sydney with costumes?” Ajay asked, “A lot of the costumes need altering so it would really help Sydney to have an extra set of hands for the first fittings.”

“Sure, I’ll be here.”

“Great,” Ajay smiled, looking a bit relieved, “I’ll let Sydney know to keep an eye out for you.”

Ajay took a moment to say his goodbyes to the rest of the group before heading home. Skye turned to shove her sketchbook and script into her backpack.

“Do you need a ride home Skye?” Rory asked as Skye threw her backpack over her shoulder, Skye shook her head.

“I’m fine.”

The rest of the theatre kids left in groups, Skye moving as quickly as possible to not be noticed as she left the school and started down the street towards the inner workings of town. She should probably go home for dinner tonight, seeing as there wasn’t much she could do without Lilith around. The arcade she liked was probably closed and anything else to occupy her time…

A bark close to her left almost caused her to jump. Skye turned to see a familiar ball of fluff wagging his tail as he picked his head up from the bus station bench he was sitting on. The dog hopped down after a moment, bouncing over and nuzzling Skye’s hand. Skye scratched at the dog’s ears for a moment before she remembered her promise from last time.

“I owe you a burger now huh?”

The dog let out a whimper and wagged his tail harder at the mention of food. 

“Alright, come on.” 

The dog followed Skye closely as she walked down the street to the more shopping oriented district of town. There were several little food stands and restaurants where she could get the dog a quick bite to eat before she headed home for her own meal. The first few smaller stands she passed shot her a nasty look the second they saw the dog clinging to her side. Clearly some people just didn’t want to serve the animal. One man shook his head as he stood outside his restaurant and muttered a few curses when Skye hesitated, thinking about whether or not to get the dog something there.

After a few minutes of walking, Skye found herself a few blocks from the Golden Griddle, where she had gotten the first offered meal to her furry companion. After a moment of thought Skye looked over to the white fluff next to her.

“You can’t come in, so you have to wait out here.” 

The dog only wagged his tail excitedly.

“Glad we understand each other.” Skye flashed a quick smile before taking a breath. She wondered if Bailey was working again tonight or if she’d think Skye was crazy for coming back so soon. After a moment of thought Skye walked up to the door ready to go through the terrible process of ordering food in person when something caught her eye. An old flyer was taped to the outside of the door.

_ Lost Dog _ _  
_ _ Responds to the name Frosty _

The picture was of a white fluffy dog looking into the camera. Skye almost took a double take before glancing over to the white dog next to her and the white dog on the poster. The details below the picture indicated that the dog had been missing for almost a week, lost during a walk when a truck scared him and he slipped out of his collar. 

There was no reward listed, but someone had taken to pointing that out in bright red marker violating the poster.

_ No Reward, No Dog _

Clearly someone didn’t think the dog was worth looking for without some kind of payment. Skye snorted as she turned back to her furry companion. The dog was overly excited, bouncing on his feet and waiting patiently for Skye to open the door. After a second Skye gave in. She wasn’t able to open the door more than a crack before the dog barrelled ahead of her, barking excitedly as he entered the diner, quickly drawing the attention of everyone inside. 

Skye felt a little panic at the sudden burst of dog energy, she almost ran into the diner after the dog before she saw Bailey turn to the sound of the noise and light up when she saw the dog.

“FROSTY!” The girl’s voice carried through the diner as she dropped the notebook she had been using to take orders to wrap her arms around the bouncing ball of energy. The dog pressed wet kisses to her face over and over again as tears ran down Bailey’s face. Skye felt a small smile make its way onto her face before she closed the door and turned the opposite direction, heading home for the evening.

***

Dinner with her family was never a lively affair. The private chef hired by her parents made different dishes for each member of the family based on the dietary restrictions her parents made up. Brian was high protein, always greeted with a meat-filled plate of either steak or chicken or some high quality lamb. Her father ate a similar way, often chatting with Brian about whatever sport he was playing that season. It’s football now, and Brian’s gloating about a touchdown he made the previous weekend. 

Skye and her mother usually ate lighter meals. During the Summer and Spring seasons it was non-stop salads and low calorie dishes to suit whatever diet her mom was on to prep for the summer. Fall was a little more filling, her mother would request more risotto or polenta, fish and small amounts of high quality protein. 

They were never particularly tasty despite being made by a top notch chef, but Skye knew better then to complain, after all they were miles better then the BOOST drinks she used to live off of while in the hospital. As far as her and her parents were concerned, she had no right to complain about anything.

“Have you  _ hung out _ with Lilith lately?” Her mother asked her suddenly as if trying to remember cool teen terminology as she announciated the “hung out” part, “We haven’t heard much from her parents this week regarding our most recent project.”

Lilith was the only thing that her parents seemed to want to talk to her about. They of course didn’t know the extent of their relationship, but they did know from previous dinners that Lilith was friendly to Skye and that Lilith seemed to like Skye enough for her parents to consider doing business with the Crandalls after the horror that was dinner when Brian tried to flirty with Lilith and ended up getting a restraining order instead.

“I talked to her the other day,” Skye lied, “she was taking a break from working on college stuff.”

“That’s right, the Vidals want to see her get accepted to a pretty prestigious school. I do hope she gets in. Try not to become a distraction, the last thing we want is for the Vidals to blame us for their daughter’s failure. We have enough problems with them not liking your brother.”

Brian scoffed but didn’t say anything when their father shot him a particularly nasty look. Brian had almost cost them millions of dollars in a business deal had it not been for Skye and Lilith getting along. It was one of the few things they still got angry with him about. Brian shot Skye a glare before going back to his dinner without further comment.

“I’ve been letting her reach out to me instead of the other way around. So I won’t be distracting her.”

“Good girl,” her father praised with a sickeningly sweet smile, “that account is very important to us, make sure you stay on the girl’s good side.”

“Have fun being some girl’s  _ toy _ .” 

Brian added it in a harsh whisper. If her parents did know the extent of the relationship with Lilith, they would only care so long as it helped them. So, in a way, they would be completely alright with Lilith treating Skye like a possession rather than a person.

Skye could only grit her teeth, not wanting to lash back out against Brian while a small part of her brain told her that it was probably true. Lilith wasn’t serious about her, so why would she be anything more than a toy for her to play with and then leave when she got bored.

Here parents went back to chatting about business. Different clients and names she couldn’t remember. Different businesses that she couldn’t pronounce. Finance companies, and investors, and large corporate firms that her parents had their hands in.

After dinner, Brian and Skye are excused to their rooms. Mrs. Crandall usually took over the living room, reading celebrity gossip magazines and watching  _ America’s Most Eligible _ while Mr. Crandall spent the evening in his study, probably drinking bourbon and reading books about World War II or whatever it was her father did for fun. 

Skye retreated into her room and pulled out her homework assignments and set the self-help packet at the corner of her desk while she worked on the rest of her homework. Within a few minutes loud rock music starts to play from a few rooms away, her brother in his personal gym rocking out while taking selfies of himself working out to send to girls who didn’t want them.

Skye sighed as the loud music seeped through the walls of the house. After a few rock songs and several assignments later Skye pulled the packet to her. With a sigh she pulled out her phone and started Googling the parts of it she didn’t understand. 

_ Spir•it•u•al•i•ty : (noun)  _ _ the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. _

Skye recalled her parents used to go to a Japanese Friendship Garden to become more spiritual. Something about souls and chakras and things like that. It only lasted a few days. They still meditated daily even though Skye’s sure that hasn’t helped their personalities that much. Skye herself wasn’t a particularly spiritual person herself and she wasn’t sure that was a part of her life that demanded attention. She scribbled in up to the fifth level and left it at that before fiddling with her phone again.

**_Self_ ** _ - _ **_care_ ** _ is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take  _ **_care_ ** _ of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it's a simple concept in theory, it's something we very often overlook. Good  _ **_self_ ** _ - _ **_care_ ** _ is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. _

Skye spaces out as she fills out the rest of the day one assignments, and day two, and day three. At this point she was just avoiding sleep, checking her phone to see if maybe Lilith had texted her. A thought that made Skye feel even more pathetic than she did as she filled out the days worth of assignments.

***

“Can we take it in more around the waist?”

Sydney had a lot of patience. Skye had been helping her fit the cast with their costumes, most of which were made, they just needed fine tuning, or fine tailoring as Sydney called it. Most of the cast were taking turns changing into their costumes and having Sydney pin and alter them as needed. Sydney had finished with Rory’s costume first, they moved on to Danielle’s. That’s where the hold up was. Danielle fussed more over her costume then Rory had and was eating a lot of Sydney's time with her desired alterations.

Natalie and Clint hadn’t even changed into their costumes yet, too busy ogling Rory in theirs. Bailey slipped out from behind the changing curtain in the flowing red dress Sydney had been overly enthusiastic about. The long flowing fabric was elegantly decorated with silver detailing and sparkling ruby gems. Her blonde hair is down, casting blonde waves over her shoulders rather than her usual high ponytail.

Something about Bailey seemed to lack her typical energy. She smiled in the mirror as she examined the dress but up this close Skye could see a lingering sadness in her eyes.

“Do you not like the dress?”

Bailey jumped at Skye’s voice. Skye tilted her head as she stepped a bit closer, Bailey’s startled green eyes locked with Skye’s for a second before looking away shyly, settling on her reflection rather than the short redhead.

“Oh no, the dress is perfect. Sydney did a really good job. I think I’m just…” Bailey bit her lip for a moment, “getting nervous.”

Skye tilted her head as she watched mixed emotions flicker across green eyes. After a moment Bailey began fidgeting with her hands nervously.

“It’s my first time staring in a play and because this play’s a fundraiser it feels like extra pressure to make sure the play goes well.”

“The play’s a fundraiser?”

“Oh, yeah! The proceeds for the Fall production are being donated. They’re supposed to help someone local struggling with medical bills.”

Skye nodded in thought, her family never had to struggle with her medical bills due to her family’s wealth, but that didn’t mean they liked to pay them. Skye knew there were plenty of others who weren’t so lucky financially when it came to illness and medical issues. Medical bills added up quickly. It had frustrated her father to no end that he was paying so much for her to stay in a hospital for months on end during her worst days. At one point he just gave up on bringing her home, knowing she would just end up back in the hospital again.

“Thank you for finding Frosty, by the way.” 

Skye snapped her attention back to Bailey at the words, the blonde flashing her a shy smile.

“I saw you leaving the diner after he appeared, so I figured you had brought him back.”

“I just opened the door, he’s the one who stormed in,” Skye shrugged, trying to downplay it as Bailey turned more towards her, smiling a little brighter.

“I was so worried I wasn’t going to be able to find him. Anyone who asked about him at the diner just lost interest when they found out there was no reward,” Bailey trailed off with a frown, “I wish I could have offered a reward, but…”

Bailey trailed off and Skye fought to change the subject, this was clearly something Bailey was uncomfortable with and Skye knew better than to push any subject regarding finances.

“So you're nervous about the play.”

If there was a way to be even more awkward Skye hadn’t figured it out yet. Bailey giggled a bit, grateful for the change in subject no matter how blunt. 

“I just really want to do well,” Bailey sighed, as she fussed with the ruffles in her dress, “this is the first big thing since-”

“Hey Bailey, how does the dress fit?” 

Sydney strode over with a bright smile, probably happy to be done with Danielle for a while.

“Wow, Bailey, we’ll look really legit together.” Rory commented as they took notice of the blonde in her theatre costume. Sydney let out an excited noise as she examined the dress closer.

“It fits so well! I’m glad, I was nervous building it up from scratch but it was worth it. Ajay’s going to be really happy with how it turned out.”

“Happy director, happy play,” Rory added with a smile, “you look really great.”

Skye watched Bailey force a bit of a smile, chuckling away at the tension that still set in her shoulders as Sydney examined the fit of the dress closer, making sure it wasn’t too large or too small in any area.

“I can’t wait to work on your hair next. I’m thinking maybe some loose waves, since the princess is kinda wild in her own way and independent. Something that screams beautiful but will fight you if needed. I wish we had some elegant hair clips or something, so during you and Rory’s sword fight scene it holds your hair more away from your face.”

“I subtle hint that the princess is always prepared for a fight,” Rory joked with a grin, “I love it.”

“I used to have some princess themed hair clips as a kid, unfortunately I don’t think they’d work with this dress.”

“That’s too bad, something elegant and sparkly would really bring it all together.”

The three gush more about their costumes and accessories for a while before Sydney gives Bailey and Rory the okay to change back out of their costumes so the final alterations can be made. Clint and Natalie were already dressed for their fitting so the only person left was Erin, who had already waved Skye off politely telling her not to worry and that her costume would be quick on it’s own.

Skye made her way to an empty area of backstage, looking over at the props that were pulled out from storage to repurpose for the  _ Enchanted Kingdom _ set. The set should look good as well, since the play was for a good cause. Skye walked around the pile of props for a few moments, taking mental notes of what was available and what could be reshaped before grabbing her sketchbook. She had a scaled drawing started, something she drew up quickly during a late night when she couldn't sleep. It wasn’t too fancy yet.

But with a few alterations to the pieces available, they could create. Her pencil danced across the paper as inspiration struck her, pushing lines and curves and notes on how to create the more intricate pieces. Something that would work with the lights she and Trevor started putting together, a few exit and entrance points for the actors to come and go on stage in interesting combinations to not look plain.

“Working on a design?” Ajay’s voice caused Skye to jump a bit and turn to him as he peered over her shoulder at the sketch, “It looks really good.”

“It’s not done yet.” 

“Right sorry, I saw you sketching and was curious.” 

Ajay shifted a bit on his feet.

“Let me know when it’s done, If you can complete it by tomorrow we can start working on the weekend.”

Skye nodded and Ajay flashed the briefest of smiles before heading backstage to check up on the progress with the costumes. 

***

_ Lilith: Hey, can we talk? _

The text message came through at almost eight at night, Skye was elbow deep in her final sketch for the theatre club, hands and forearms smeared with graphite and tinted with various colors from the pencils she used to highlight the main drawing while sketching various other angles as well. She was actually having fun, happy with the design on paper and excited to show it to Ajay tomorrow. She almost didn’t notice Lilith’s text until she reached over to check the time. Seeing the text, Skye rubbed her palms against her jeans, leaving faint streaks of charcoal on black before reaching over to respond.

_ Skye: Ok? _

_ Lilith: Can we talk in person? Are you free Saturday? _

_ Skye: Yeah, sure. _

_ Lilith: meet me at Boba Bear at 7? _

_ Skye: Ok _

Skye shook off the anxiety that set in her stomach at the notion of seeing Lilith again as she finished up her detailed sketches of the new set. 

***

Skye was greeted by a very unusual scene as she made her way to the theatre kid table at lunch. Bailey, Erin, and Rory surrounded a very defeated looking Ajay. Balls of paper were skewed across the table as Ajay wrote frantically in his notebook, pencil digging threateningly deep into the paper. The other theatre kids sat around with varying expressions of defeat. Trevor noticed Skye's slowed approach first.

"Hey Skye."

At the sound of his voice a few other greetings were tossed her way, none as vibrant and loud as Bailey's as the blonde turned to give her full attention

"Hey Skye!"

"Hey," Skye peered over Ajay's shoulder, "what are you guys doing?"

"Ajay can't math."

Danielle answered grumpily, rubbing her temples as if trying to sooth a headache. Erin looked up from the book to further explain.

"Ajay needs to pass his next math test with at least a B or else we won't be able to direct the school play anymore," Erin explained in her usual calm voice, "we're trying to help him study, but it's not going very well."

"At this point, the highest grade I feel confident getting is a D," Ajay groaned, "Rory's tips are not helpful."

"Why are you calling me out?"

Skye eyed the problem for a few moments.

"What if you did it like…" Skye trailed off for a moment not sure if she was overstepping before Erin handed her a red pen. Skye hesitated for a moment before she took the offered pen. Skye walked Ajay through the problem slowly, drawing in a clean area of his notebook that wasn’t abused and torn. Ajay watched with widening eyes, waiting until the end of her conversation before saying anything.

“... I think I get it.”

The round of cheers from Erin, Rory, and Bailey caught the attention of a few other tables. Skye jumped a bit before returning Erin’s pen to her and shifting awkwardly on her feet. 

“Skye, you should join our study group! No one else has managed to get Ajay to understand anything,” Bailey exclaimed with a bright smile on her face, “it was so easy to follow, I’d have no trouble with any of the math concepts if you explained them.”

“Skye’s just better at explaining then the rest of you,” Ajay quipped with a smirk, “it was much clearer than Rory’s horse explanation.”

“Hey!”

““We need Ajay for the play, so I’ll help,” Skye said a bit reluctantly, thrown off by the amount of praise thrown her way, she tried to shake it off with her default sarcastic humor, “I can wave my tutor fees for the sake of that.”

“I’ll pay you in cafeteria chicken nuggets!”

Skye felt her lips twitch into a smile at the conviction in the blonde’s voice, her green eyes determined to strike a deal.

“No deal.”

“What about milkshakes from the Golden Grill?”

That made Skye hesitate. Her eyes lit up a bit and Bailey immediately grinned when she noticed. Ajay chuckled.

“Even I can spare that for your time,” Ajay smiled before he noticed the tube Skye had with her finished rolled sketches of the set, “are those your set sketches?”

“No, Ajay don’t get distracted,” Erin warned in her mom voice as Ajay turned his full attention to Skye.

“Can I take a look?”

“Maybe not here where they can get ruined,” Skye let one of her hands rest against the plastic of the art tube. Ajay nodded, seemingly disappointed at the lack of distraction from their impromptu study session. Erin scooted over and motioned for Skye to sit with them. The group carried on with their study session for a while until it was clear Ajay’s brain wasn’t going to hold any more math concepts. 

“I think we should use the rest of lunch to go over your plan for the set, we can move that over to the auditorium.”

Skye only nodded as the two stood up and headed out of the cafeteria. Ajay walked briskly, whether it was to get away from the cursed math book or to go over the set design before the end of lunch, Skye wasn’t sure. The halls were mostly empty with most of the school in the cafeteria for lunch, a few students skating or lounging outside in the cooling autumnal weather. 

As they entered the auditorium Ajay led them over to the stage, motioning for Skye to show the finalized sketches. She took each one out of the tube individually, rolling them out onto the stage for Ajay to review. His dark eyes narrowed as he examined the drawings, often asking questions about the structures or the lighting, which Skye answered with growing confidence as Ajay nodded. Slowly his expression grew more and more impressed as Skye explained the finer details of each piece.

“That way there are more ways to enter and exit the stage, giving the scenes with the witch a more lively look. Danielle can duck in or out of these openings while we play the fog effect to make it look like she’s disappearing with having her walk off stage where she can be seen.”

“It looks great.” Ajay smiled as he gazed over the sketches a final time, “I’ll tell Trevor we’re going with this design. I’m relieved, I was afraid we were going to have to use Trevor's makeshift design. He’s a good tech but sometimes I feel like he doesn’t put in as much attention to detail as I like. This, however, is sure to get people excited about the play.”

Skye shifted awkwardly at the praise as Ajay grinned. His expression took on a bit more of a serious look as he spoke again.

“I was a bit worried when you joined, because you were so withdrawn during our support group meeting,” Ajay stated carefully, “I know it’s hard to trust people. It’s hard to tell people what’s going on because you're worried about feeling like you're being pitied or made fun of. It’s hard to tell people how hard it is even if you’ve recovered from something because people assume that since you’re not sick anymore you can’t have problems. At least, in my case I felt like that. Rory and Mrs. Silva helped me a lot. It took me a while to trust them, but I’d do anything to help them now.”

Skye wasn’t sure what to say. Ajay’s words seemed genuine, careful, like he wanted to make sure he said the right thing, but not in a way she’s used to. It’s not like how Lilith words certain things because she’s worried about upsetting Skye, it’s like Ajay wants to make sure he’s not projecting too much of his own issues. Skye wasn’t sure of his full story, but she couldn’t help feeling it was probably a bit similar to her own.

“We’re having a study group tomorrow at the Golden Grill. I think you should come. Rory and Bailey will be there and since we’re all in a support group together, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know them better.”

Skye looked off to the side, hesitating on her answer a bit.

“Milkshakes are on me, as compensation for your time tutoring me of course.”

“... I don’t think Rory is going to think that’s fair.”

Ajay laughed as Skye rolled back up the sketches and packed them away.

“I won’t be too cruel then, but if they try to talk about horses in math problems again, they pay for their own.”

***

The Golden Grill had such a friendly atmosphere. It was late Saturday and the wait staff seemed to be enjoying the lull before the Saturday night rush. Ajay had made good on his milkshake promise as Skye sat in the booth across from him and Rory as they bickered back and forth over some of the concepts that irritated Ajay.

“Erin’s not here today, she had volleyball.” Rory had mentioned as an older woman arrived at the table with a smile and a tray with beautifully presented milkshakes served with whipped cream and cherries.

“Sorry I have to keep Bailey from you three for a bit longer, we’re still cleaning up from the lunch rush,” The woman stated as she looked over at the three, her eyes settled a bit on Skye, “you must be Skye, Bailey’s mentioned you.”

“Yes ma’am,” 

“I’m happy to see Bailey’s making lots of friends,” the woman smiled, “It sounds strange but I’m glad Bailey’s taking more time off from work.”

“Why is that?” Skye asked before she could stop herself, a bit of a poor habit her mother chastised her for often. As she grew more comfortable it seemed her ability to think before speaking got weaker. The woman didn’t seem bothered about it, smiling a bit brighter.

“Motherly instinct, while I’m happy my daughter is so devoted to the family business, I want to see her enjoy high school, not work through it.”

“Bailey’s parents own this place,” Rory clarified before returning Mrs. Jackson’s smile, “we’ll be sure to keep Bailey out late then and make sure she has lots of fun.”

“No one can possibly have fun with math.” 

Rory nudged him, knocking his glasses askew. He threw them an unamused look as he readjusted them. Mrs. Jackson chuckled before the bell above the door chimed to let her know more customers were coming in.

“You kids try to have fun.” Mrs. Jackson called over her shoulder as she walked away to assist with the new customers. Within seconds Rory and Ajay begin to bicker again and Skye couldn’t help the bit of amusement it brought. 

Her mind wondered a bit, she’d have to meet with Lilith soon.

“Hey Ajay,” Skye called over softly, getting Ajay’s attention right away, “can I ask you a question?”

Ajay nodded as Rory quieted down. Skye eyed Rory for a second, trying to decide if she wanted them there as well. Ajay had said she should come to get to know Rory and Bailey, so maybe it would be better to have them there. That way, at least if Rory wanted to make fun of her she could learn from the beginning the type of person they were.

“Has anyone ever… dated you because they felt sorry for you?”

The table is quiet for a moment. Perhaps her and Lilith weren’t in the dating category, but there was really no other way Skye could think of to explain without sounding more awkward in her head.

“I don’t think it counts as dating,” Ajay started as he sipped his coffee, “there was a girl during my sophomore year at Berry that led me on a bit. I had a crush on her and I thought she felt the same. We’d have lunch together, just the two of us, and we’d go on what I thought were dates over the weekend. But it was clear she had fallen for her co-star in the play. She took his side when he undermined my authority as director. It got under my skin, so I confessed my feelings for her, thinking if she knew how I felt, maybe she'd understand how I felt when she defended him. That’s when she told me that they were dating, and that she didn’t have feelings for me. That she only hung out with me because she felt bad about my leg and about how I was still recovering from my surgery and fighting with cancer.”

There’s a hum of silence, the muted noises of the other patrons' conversations around them.

“I’m happy I told her though,” Ajay smiled as he looked up, “If I hadn’t questioned her real feelings for me, I would be living in a fake relationship that only existed inside my head. Now I can focus on what’s real.”

What’s real.

If Lilith only cared about her out of pity, if Lilith only wanted to go on dates with her for her sake, then her relationship with her was fake. No matter what excuse she made for the other girl in her head, if she wanted things to be real she’d have to confront her about her own feelings.

“Sorry I’m late!” Bailey’s voice broke her out of her thoughts as the blonde slid into the booth next to her, shoulders bumping for a second as the chaotic blonde dropped her books across the table “did I miss anything?”

“Life lessons from Ajay.”

“So lots of procrastination on Ajay’s part,” Rory added with a grin, “Let’s crack down on this chapter. Operation A for Ajay is a go.”

***

You have to tell her, Skye told herself as she strode over to the hipster looking boba shop across town. Lilith was already there, trademark leather jacket hugging her form and a plastic cup in her hand. As Skye drew closer Lilith turned her head, flashing a smile as she met Skye halfway.

“Hey you, I got you milk coffee tea, I know you don’t usually like the really sweet flavors.”

A bit of a lie, Skye had just been too scared to correct her when she made the assumption.

“Thank you,” Skye took the cup politely as Lilith flashed a smile at her. It was almost like their fight a few days ago hadn’t happened. Skye almost let herself believe that she had been over thinking things before Lilith motioned for Skye to walk with her, shoving her free hand in the pocket of her trademark cropped leather jacket. A bit of a familiar chill as Skye realized there were probably too many people for Lilith to attempt to hold her hand as they walked. 

The main shopping area is a bit busy, the small mom and pop shops busting as the two girls walked in silence, Lilith taking long sips of her brightly colored drink as Skye walked a bit more stiffly beside her. 

“You said you wanted to talk.”

“Yeah,” Lilith sighed as if she had been hoping Skye wouldn’t remember, “I hadn’t seen you at all this week, I wanted to check in.”

Skye hummed, waiting for a further explanation that would never come.

“I wanted to talk to you about something too.”

Lilith looked over at her with a bit of surprise, probably unused to Skye not dropping things quickly. She pressed a slightly more nervous smile to her face.

“What’s on your mind?”

“... Why did you get upset when those guys saw us together at the concert?”

“Oh, they’re my friends from school and I didn’t know they’d be there. I knew they’d get the wrong idea so I just wanted to leave.”

“Wrong idea about what?” Skye pressed as Lilith stopped at the corner, teeth denting the straw on her glass.

“I just… I knew they’d pick on you because of you being a little younger than me, that’s all.”

Skye knew that wasn’t the full truth, she could tell by the way Lilith’s jaw tensed and how her words grew a bit slower, more careful. Like she was walking through a minefield and Skye was a hidden explosive. 

“You’re lying,” Skye pointed out in the calmest voice she could muster, “because they weren’t picking on me, they were picking on  _ you _ .”

Lilith stopped dead, turning fully to face Skye, frustration clear on her face for a moment before she took a breath.

“Why are we talking about this?”

“Because I’m trying to understand,” Skye sighed, pulling together whatever broken courage she could muster, “I want to know if you really like me or if you’re just hanging out with me because you feel bad. You’ve never said what we are and every time people point out my age, you get angry and we fight and then we hang out again like this and all is forgotten. I don’t want it to be like that. I want you to be honest with me. If you’re really only with me because you feel sorry for me, I’d rather you weren’t.”

Lilith’s gaze was a strange mix of surprise and frustration. She ran a hand through her hair before speaking, letting Skye’s words hang in the air.

“What am I supposed to do?” Lilith asked, not giving Skye a chance to answer, “you’ve said yourself that there have been days where you wish you had never gotten that new heart of yours. There have been days where you’ve said to me that you wished the other person had gotten to live instead of you. That you didn’t really see the point of you surviving was. Do you know how scary that is?”

Skye’s silent for a moment too long and Lilith stepped forward before Skye could formulate an answer.

“I care about you enough to now want to see you hurt yourself. Do you know how scary it is to watch someone who isn’t even old enough to drive tell you that they’ve thought about their own death. I was worried you’d do something if I pushed too hard,” Lilith’s voice cracked a bit, “I never intended it to go as far as it did. You’re right. I was embarrassed that I was getting picked on because of you. But I was going to deal with it if it made you happy.”

“... You stayed with me because you thought I was going to kill myself?” 

“What was I supposed to think? You had such bad days, I got scared that you might have been thinking about it. And you sometimes had those scratches on your arm so I was worried that you might be capable of it.”

Scratches? Skye thought back for a moment. Perhaps it was a bit of a habit. Especially when her mother forced her into something and paraded her around. Her skin would itch like crazy and she’d spend the whole evening scratching at her arms, maybe that was what Lilith was referring to? 

“But did you ever want to be with me?” Skye asked, voice far softer.

“... I’m sorry.”

The apology hung in the air, the bustle of the street felt like it was at a stand still. On some level, Skye knew Lilith would break her heart in the end, but she wasn’t ready for the pain. Skye felt herself trying to hold back tears, a growing ache formed in her chest at Lilith’s saddened words.

“If you had asked... I would have told you that wasn't what I meant,” Skye’s hand rose absentmindedly to her chest, where she knew the scar still was from the surgery, “But you always changed the subject, so I never really told you more then stupid comments like that. But I never thought of killing myself, and I would have told you that if you had asked me.”

Lilith only nodded, unsure of what to say.

“I think I’m going to go home,” Skye forced her voice to stay firm, to not break, Lilith looked like she wanted to say something more, wanted to stop her, but a look of resolve and sadness shadowed over her features and she held them back as Skye turned to walk away. Only allowing the tears to fall once she had gotten more than a block away.


	3. Clipped Wings

When Skye was eleven, her parents and Brian had gone to Hawaii for a week during a break in school. Skye was in the hospital that week, going through her online classes and trying to seem ignorant of the situation with doctors and nurses who were acting even nicer to her then usual. Many of them felt sorry for her, so it was easy for Skye to become one of the more visited patients in the ER. Skye usually avoided awkward conversation with the excuse that she had been doing schoolwork. Skye usually didn’t take breaks from school. Going to school online usually meant she had her own schedule that was flexible with her appointments and treatments and hospital visits. Skye’s favorite subject by far was art. It was pretty limited since her teacher could only grade her sketches through the laptop camera in the poor white lighting of hospital rooms. Skye loved surrealism, loved creating fictional worlds that existed beyond the four walls she was trapped in.

Her bedroom at home felt like a similar cage. Her mom had decorated the entire thing. Pastel pink with white marble floors and rose gold fixings were enough to blind anyone under their bright gaze. Her closet door was ordered to remain closed since Skye turned eight and started her goth phase. At first her mother had allowed it under the guise that since Skye had so little time left there was no use fighting with her on clothing. It was one of the “poor us” lies her parents told investors to get sympathy. “Idiots with warm hearts” her father sneered behind closed doors.

Skye spent most of her Sunday sulking in the pink prison, cursing the brightness of the room as the bass of Brian’s horrific music seeped through the walls. Another training day for football, Skye assumed. She was more than content to stay in her own room, finishing homework and brooding over her breakup with Lilith. 

And of course her parents had reminded her and Brian at breakfast that they had their annual dinner that Friday. Skye’s least favorite day of the year. Her mother picks out some god-awful dress that she’s required to wear. No black makeup whatsoever, no combat boots, nothing that made her look like a “street kid” and more of what her mother considered “beautiful.” complete with fake eyelashes and extensions.

Sometimes her mother made her wear contacts. Her excuse being Skye’s natural dark blue eyes were “too sharp” and “not feminine enough.” Her mother would have a nail polish picked out that would replace Skye’s black polish she usually wore. Knowing how important this particular event was to her family, Skye knew the chances of her mother forcing fake nails onto her was high. Those were always a bitch to get off.

Even Brian had to wear makeup to cover up his freckles, something he surprisingly didn’t bitch nearly as much as Skye had thought he would. 

Skye wasn’t looking forward to the end of the week, especially not with her mother’s frighteningly good mood. Skye swore she heard her mother say something about  _ Swarovski _ and  _ Crystals Imported From France _ . An omen of the horror she would have to wear for the evening. 

And she’d have to see Lilith again, so soon after their break up. The older girl’s words still echoed through her skull. Apologies and frustration. Worse than that, she’d have to see Lilith again and pretend she was still the good little girl who won over one of her brother’s more note-worthy victims of his unwanted advances. The Vidal family was probably one of the few people her parents would be sucking up to while acting perfect to impress the rest of the party.

It made Skye sick to think about. Everything about her family during those dinners were fake. Her mom’s sickly sweet smile, her father’s praise, her preppy girl clothes, all of it was fake. All except for Brian, who would be his usual scummy self praised by most of the men at the party as being charming or toss the occasional “boys will be boys” until Mr. Vidal walked into the room and shut everyone up with a single glare. The only other person Skye had seen with that kind of power was a California partner of her father's whose name she couldn’t quite remember off the top of her head.

Skye pushed herself up off the far-too-soft-for-an-average-person bed and tugged the curtains shut to darken the room before grabbing her laptop and collection of forbidden horror movies from under her bed. A few hours of murder and blood was sure to be a temporary cure for the stress migraine slowly forming behind her eyes.

***

Skye almost forgot about the group therapy session. The only reason she remembered is because Bailey materialized next to her locker at the end of the day, asking if she wanted to walk to the theatre room together. It occurred to Skye that she could try to ditch, try to make up an excuse for why she couldn’t go, but Bailey looked so nervous that the small redhead caved before an excuse could formulate in her head. The way Bailey lit up a bit when she said yes felt worth it.

“You seem quiet today,” Bailey offered after a few minutes, “more than usual.”

“... I’m just tired.”

It wasn’t a lie, not the whole truth either. Bailey nodded.

“Insomnia?” Bailey asked as they turned the corner, “I get that sometimes when I’m tired until I lay down, and then my mind starts going and I can’t go to sleep.”

“Kinda,” Skye sighed, running a hand through her hair automatically, “it’s a long story. You don’t want to hear it.”

“But, do you want to talk about it? We have some time before the meeting starts.”

Most people were blunt. Most people pushed when they wanted to know about someone. But Bailey? She nudged. Bailey didn’t know a damned thing about Skye, and was still willing to lend an ear. It didn’t help that everything had been weighing on Skye all day. She wanted to talk to someone about it, even considered going to Ajay, but she didn’t want to weight someone else down. Not like she did with Lilith.

“I’m not really in the mood to talk about it.” 

Bailey nodded, her expression soft with the slightest hint of sadness in her green eyes.

“Ok, if you change your mind, I’m here. Oh! We should exchange numbers.” Bailey offered with a nervous smile, “that way if you change your mind, you can text me.”

Skye nodded and accepted the cell Bailey handed to her, typing in her number for the blonde before she handed it back. Bailey smiled and fired off a quick text. Skye watched in slight amusement as Bailey grinned as Skye checked her phone, a series of emojis texted to her under the blonde’s number. Skye saved it to her phone.

“We should head inside.”

Bailey nodded. The two entered the theatre together, quickly enveloped in Mrs. Silva’s bright smile as they walked over to the circle of chairs. Again Bailey sat in the chair right next to Skye. Mrs. Silva wheeled herself over to them as they got settled.

“Hey girls, how was your week? Did you manage to work through those workbooks?”

“Yeah, it was kinda hard,” Bailey offered with a smile, Skye only nodded her agreement as Mrs. Silva took the books.

“Self-evaluation tends to be, however I feel like it helps you gather yourself before we dive into self-recovery.”

Bailey nodded alone, a bit of her nervousness from last week showed itself in the way she fidgeted with her hands and tapped her foot a bit during awkward lulls in conversation. Skye watched the blonde fidget while she chatted with Mrs. Silva until Mrs. Silva turned her attention to the redhead.

“You two don’t have to look so scared! The first steps are usually the hardest, I promise you both it gets better from here.”

As more students filtered in, Mrs. Silva wheeled her way around the room to greet everyone, eventually allowing the group to branch out for their usual icebreaker, a highlight and lowlight from the previous week. It was kind of nice that they weren’t being forced to talk into the full group. 

“Erin’s going to take over as director until I can get my math grade up,” Ajay announced glumly as him and Rory moved over to them, “I have a test on Monday, if I can get at least a B I can pull my grade up enough to continue directing.”

“That can’t be so hard, you’ll probably get at least a C with how far you’ve come this last weekend,” Rory grinned and pat Ajay on the back enthusiastically, “you’ll be sighing and yelling at us again in no time.”

“It’s not that simple,” Ajay sighed, “We still have to get the set finished and painted, Clint and Natalie are still stumbling over their lines and Danielle’s headpiece for the witch costume needs to be fixed.”

“Take it easy, we’ll figure it out!” Rory insisted, “Skye and Erin have got down how to explain things to you so as long as we have one of them for study sessions we can get you ready for your text in no time.”

“How do you understand all of this stuff so easily anyway?” Ajay asked as he looked up at Skye, “You’re a freshman right?”

Skye shrugged, “I’m in honors math, so I’ve already kinda gone over the foundation principles of trig.”

“Dang, maybe I should ask you to help me next semester when I have to take trig,” Rory shook their head, “That’s kinda cool, I didn’t think they let Freshman take honors classes.”

“You have to take a test,” Ajay offered, “I took honors English as a freshman, I was allowed as long as I could prove I knew the prerequisite information.”

“Oh hey, Danielle was asking if we were doing anything special to promote the play,” Rory started as they leaned forward in their chair, “I was thinking we could do something with the 5K walk next weekend. Maybe get some posters made and hype the play there.”

“The 5K Walk For A Cure?” Ajay asked as he thought for a second, “That’s an idea, It would be cool to get the entire theatre department involved in something. I was thinking we should use some of Skye’s sketches of the set for the poster.”

“Oh, those would look so cool at the fairgrounds! They’ll fit in with the Oktoberfest theme so maybe we can convince them to let us hang them up. Lots of people will see them then.”

Ajay thinks on the idea for a few moments.

“I bet if we did a preview of the play it would help our ticket sales numbers.”

Rory and Ajay talked back and forth on it for a few moments before Mrs. Silva clapped for everyone’s attention. The rest of the meeting consisted of a role playing game that Skye was able to stay out of. Mrs. Silva tried to keep the activities optional, but tried to gently encourage people to interact with each other. It’s a good distraction from otherwise thinking about Lilith and her parents.

Bailey was unusually quiet. Skye noticed not that long into the game that the other theatre kid opted to stay out of the otherwise perfect-for-a-theatre-kid game. Whenever Skye glanced her way Bailey was seated smiling or otherwise looking like she was paying attending to the skit Rory and Ajay were performing on, only to have her smile drop every time the attention was off her. Her smile confused Skye, sometimes it seemed natural, real, but other times it felt acted out like her scenes as Princess Abigail.

Now that Skye thought about it, Princess Abigail’s smile was different then Bailey’s. Whenever Skye watched the other girl on stage, everything about her would morph into the character of Princess Abigail. Her facial expressions and tone would change into someone else.

Bailey must have felt her gaze, her emerald eyes meet Skye’s blue for a moment. Bailey’s expression changed to caught for a second before she smiled a bit more sincerely. 

Her real smile didn’t last long, her attention snatched back away by the round of applause thrown Rory and Ajay’s way. With the image of Bailey’s fleeting smile in the back of her mind, Skye turned back to the group as Mrs. Silva carried on with the meeting.

***

Bailey was an interesting person. Skye watched her during rehearsal swap effortlessly back and forth from her real persona to Princess Abigail. The other girl walked through reality and fiction effortlessly with each line. There was something hypnotising about it. Bailey walked through reality like a character in a play, but every once in a while she’d break character and glimpses of the real Bailey flooded through.

Bailey’s only in the beginning of the scene Ajay honed in on today. After delivering her lines and exiting the stage a few times Ajay signals that he wants to focus on a different part of the scene, allowing Bailey to take a break. The blonde made her way backstage where Skye had been faithfully coding the sound board. Skye had been excited to queue up a sound effect that would work for the witch’s exit after threatening to get revenge on the kingdom for wronging her. 

“Is that the poster?” Bailey asked as she drew a bit closer, Skye looked up from the board to follow the blonde’s gaze to the 8 x 10 image pinned to the wall.

“Yeah, Erin added the text and finished it this morning.”

The taller girl had used one of Skye’s colored sketches of the set as the backdrop, mocking up the logo Ajay approved and adding the details of the performance. She had given Skye the approved version that morning.

“They look so good, we’ll definitely get approved to promote at Oktoberfest now.”

Bailey's smile was genuine, her face lighting up with excitement. Skye tilted her head a bit, thinking over her question for a moment before taking the plunge to ask. 

“What’s Oktoberfest?”

Bailey’s head whipped to Skye’s direction so face Skye was worried the other girl would get whiplash. 

“You’ve never been?”

“...No?”

“It’s so much fun! There’s food and apple cider and games and pumpkin carving and apple bobbing and hay rides-”

“I think some of those were the same thing.”

“Not done! And farm animals and oh! The community theatre puts on a ghost story performance and there’s a haunted house and everyone dresses up! It’s so much fun,” Bailey bounced a bit in excitement, hand reaching out to touch Skye’s arm as she leaned closer, “come with us when we go set up the signs! I’ll show you all the fun things to do before it gets too busy.”

It’s probably illegal to say no to Bailey when she looks at you like that. Skye can’t bring herself to turn down the offer. Bailey was also particularly close now and Skye could just make out the sweeter smelling shampoo radiating off the other girl’s hair.

“OK.”

Bailey let out a little cheer grinning wildly before Ajay called for them to do the scene again from the top. She scurried off with a little spring to her step, Skye watched her go before turning back to the soundboard. 

They had another study session with Ajay tomorrow, and on Friday. Skye frowned when she remembered that. She’d have to be careful if she lost track of time, she’d miss dinner with her parents Friday night. Maybe they could do the session without her, that way she wouldn’t have to worry about being late.

Ajay dismissed the actors and the techs started packing up. 

Skye hung back, wanting to finish the sequence she was working on before packing up. After a few minutes the theatre grew quieter. A set of footsteps drew closer and Skye looked up to see Bailey sheepishly hovering dressed in dark wash jeans and a burgundy sweater. A stack of posters cradled close to her chest.

“You meant… tonight?”

Bailey nodded sheepishly, looking away for a moment before turning her attention back to Skye.

“My parents are working late tonight and I don’t really like being home alone… Sorry this is really last minute.”

“No, it’s fine,” Skye muttered back not wanting to see the sad expression linger on Bailey’s face, “we should go catch the bus.”

Bailey smiled and waited patiently as Skye gathered her scattered belongings and threw her backpack over her shoulder. The two race to catch the bus to the side of town where the festival was being held, Bailey bouncing off the bus happily the second they pulled up at the stop. Skye followed with an amused look as Bailey ratted off fun facts about the festival. Such as how it was founded by the historical society of Cedar Cove and that the local theatre group worked the festival every year. Because it’s a weekday some of the attractions weren’t open yet. The festival was held on an orchard, decorated in classic Halloween and Fall-themed decorations. Booths were set up for games and food, there was a corn maze, hayride, petting zoo featuring the farm's furry little creatures, and a haunted house that didn’t appear to be open yet. It was still early into October, so there were a few more Halloween themed attractions not ready to explore.

“Let’s start at the barn!” Bailey suggested happily as she led Skye through the light crowds and few children gathered around the games towards the large red barn that seemed to sit several hundred meters away from the main entrance past the old time farm stand and shops. On the side of the barn was a memo board covered in flyers for various events the orchid held during the Fall as well as flyers from the community theatre and a few other schools. Bailey examined the board closely before deeming a space fit for the flyer. 

“Skye, look sheep!”

Skye didn’t get much time to think before the blonde made a beeline for the little outdoor pen. Skye hesitated a moment before walking over to the blonde now leaning over the fence to ruffle the fur of a little white sheep.

“He’s so soft,” Bailey hummed as she smiled, “feel.”

Oh, Bailey wasn’t as excited to see the sheep as she was to show  _ Skye _ the sheep. Skye looked over to see a few more of the small walking marshmallows head over, probably wanting to see if Bailey had food to feed them. After a few seconds Skye reached out hesitantly, softly brushing the side of a black sheep that had wondered over. Her pillow-like fluff is unbelievably soft against Skye’s hand.

The two end up hanging out with the sheep for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. The black sheep near Skye settled against the fence, looking up at her with dark brown eyes as she pet her dark wool coat. 

“We should get back to hanging the posters,” Skye pointed out reluctantly as her and Bailey bid farewell to their sheep friends, washing their hands at the little station near the petting zoo area and headed towards the game stalls. There are several stalls set up with classic games that Skye recalled seeing on sitcoms or in video games. A ring toss with a few overly determined children, a game involving knocking down milk bottles, a weirdly set up tic-tac-toe style game and an unoccupied dunk tank were among some of the offerings.

“Rory used to get into the dunk tank and tease people throwing the ball,” Bailey said as she hung a few posters on the side of a game stall, “though I don’t know a lot of people who would line up to dunk them.”

“One of my brother’s friends from Berry used to try to get him into the dunk tank at some school fair thing,” Skye offered awkwardly as they walked, “he should have done it. Even I would have taken a shot at knocking him in the tank.”

“Your brother? Was he the one that-”

“Who I got into a fight with at Hearst?” Skye finished for her, “Yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard all the rumors by now.”

Skye sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“I kinda hoped no one would ask, but that seems to have made it worse. Somehow everyone knows Brian Crandall is my brother. I’m pretty sure that blue-haired upperclassman trips me in the hall on purpose.”

“People shouldn’t hold what he did against you-”

“But they do.” Skye forcefulled taped a poster down on the wall before them, “It doesn’t help the only thing they know is that I got into a fight and was kicked out of Hearst, people just assume we’re similar.”

“If Brian’s as bad as the rumors make him out to be, it’s easy to tell you’re not like him.”

“That’s sweet, but not everyone thinks like that.”

Bailey hummed as they walked, the lights from the various games reflecting off the side of her face as they walked. 

“Well, I think that.” Bailey said with finality, “I think you’re a good person.”

“You don’t know me.”

“All I need to know is that you returned Frosty without needing a reward to do it. That was probably the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“I was just going to get him food, I didn’t even know I was returning him until we got to the diner and I saw the poster.”

“Even better,” Bailey insisted, “you were going to feed him, so you have to be a nice person. Anyone else would have just left him alone in the cold.”

“I-” Skye hesitated when she saw the determined look in Bailey’s eyes, it was clear she wasn’t going to be talked out of it, “you’re really weird, you know that?”

Bailey just grinned, standing proudly as she accepted her victory. 

“Hungry? That food truck makes the best savory crepes!”

“Sure,”

The older Asian woman running the food truck talked animatedly to Bailey once it was their turn in line. The two talked for a bit, the older woman switching from English to a language Skye couldn’t understand and back again. After ordering the two found a spot off to the side of the gaming booths, Asian style roast duck and veggie crepes in hand.

Skye’s had food-truck food before at late night concerts with Lilith, but that was usually just tacos or burgers or something greasy and easy to eat while headbanging in line to get into a venue. These? Were probably the best thing Skye’s ever eaten. She didn’t know duck could be so tender or that the Asian style sauces and bok choy would pair so well with it.

“We do festivals with her and her son and daughter sometimes,” Bailey explained as they ate, “She’s really nice. She just opened her first restaurant on the other side of town, but she likes doing the festivals and says she doesn’t have the heart to get rid of her food truck. She swears her son’s going to take it over one day.”

“She seemed nice,” Skye mused, “I didn’t know your parents did festivals too.”

“Sometimes, we usually get asked to do some desert booth since we’re famous for our milkshakes and pies.” Bailey smiled, though again Skye could see the ghost of some hidden sadness, quickly covered up when Bailey leaned a bit closer, “my dad’s been trying to incorporate pumpkin spice into a milkshake this year for our seasonal flavor.”

The two chatted casually as they ate. Bailey explained the strategic balance pumpkin and cinnamon needed in order to form into a cohesive pumpkin spice milkshake between tales of the different food trucks as they closed up and headed home for the evening. They watched some of the older middle and high school crowd play some of the games as the younger kids filtered out of the area.

“What are you good at?” Skye asked as she gestured to the booths, “If you had to pick one.”

“Hmm, maybe darts. I’m not that good at aiming but if you throw hard enough near a cluster of balloons you can usually pop one of them! What about you?”

“Probably the same, an old friend of my brother’s showed me how to play a few years ago.”

“We should play a round,” Bailey offered, hopping up from her seat, “come on, the booth’s empty.”

Skye and Bailey split the cost of the round. The booth attendant unenthusiastically laid out six darts in front of them and gave a brief safety explanation before sulking off to the corner of the booth to play on his phone.

Bailey throws first, true to her technique she throws hard at a group of balloons managing to hit the empty space between them. 

“So close!”

Skye lined up a shot of her own, an unusual feeling of wanting to be good at the thing she was doing as she aimed her throw. After a few test swings of the arm she threw a dart at one of the brightly colored green balloons on the board. The satisfying pop of the plastic was quickly followed by a short applause from Bailey.

Skye’s next dark narrowly missed a pink balloon that seemed to mock her the second she missed. Bailey’s wild shot scraped but didn’t pop a bright blue balloon.

“Try pointing after your throw,” Skye offered as she recalled the advice she had gotten when she was learning how to aim, she demonstrated the motion by throwing her dart, popping the mocking pink balloon, sending it to hell where it belonged. Bailey nodded seriously as she picked up the final dart, taking a dramatic deep breath and aiming carefully before giving it a toss, pointing on the follow through like Skye had shown her. The dart popped through a light blue balloon. Bailey turned to the redhead with a smile.

“It worked!”

The attendant walked back over directing them to the shelf with small-medium prizes.

“You can pick,” Skye offered, “I’m not really a stuffed animal person.”

Skye went to retrieve the forgotten posters for the play while Bailey picked out a prize. When she turned back towards the booth Bailey met her half-way, smiling and hiding something behind her back. As soon as Skye stepped forward Bailey revealed a cute small red T-rex keychain, softly glowing in the dark.

“It’s a pair, now we match.” Bailey announced proudly as she revealed her blue version of the same keychain, “They glow in the dark. And look on the bottom, they have the logo and year on them so it’s the perfect souvenir for your first Oktoberfest!”

Bailey’s smile is bright as she places the small matching keychain in Skye’s hand. Her smile felt so real for the first time that night, it was like seeing the sun in the middle of the night. It was also very touching, that instead of making it weird that Skye’s never attended the festival before, Bailey was celebrating the experience they were sharing together. It was a strange kind of warm kindness that Skye wasn’t quite used to.

“Thank you for hanging out with me tonight,” Bailey’s gentle voice broke through Skye’s thoughts, “I know it was last minute.”

“It’s fine, I had fun.” Skye’s voice matched Bailey’s in gentleness as an easy smile made its way onto her face. It quickly disappeared at the strange gawking look Bailey gave her, “What?”

“Sorry! I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile,” Bailey rubbed the back of her neck, face turning a bit pink as she muttered, “you have a pretty smile.”

The two stand in a strange awkward lull as Skye feels her face grow a bit warmer at the comment. Bailey awkwardly clapped her hands as if gaining the attention of a kindergarten classroom.

“OK! Let’s put the rest of these posters up, then funnel cake!”

Skye let out a quiet chuckle at Bailey’s charming awkwardness, the noise making Bailey smile wider as they explored the rest of the fair, finding places to place posters until almost every sightline was covered in  _ Magic Kingdom _ posters.

***

“Alright troops, we’re ready for the final battle. Some of us may not make it out alive.”

“Rory, what is that voice supposed to be?” 

“I’m narrating!” Rory sighed as they slouched down against the library table, “We have three more chapters to go over until we’re caught up with the rest of your class.”

“If we get through it all today,” Erin started as she flipped Ajay’s book to the correct chapter, “Then we can focus on reviewing everything for your test on Monday.”

The entire theatre group sat around one of the round tables in the library, most of them ready to help Ajay through the last hurdle standing between him and a decent math grade. Skye’s ninety percent sure Clint and Natalie were only there to gawk at Rory and Danielle was only there because Rory was there, but aside from the Rory fan-club Erin, Bailey, and herself were ready to help Ajay learn how to math.

They powered through the first chapter, but Ajay’s energy quickly deescalated as they tried to start the second. All his determination seemed to leave his body as Erin tried to explain the more complex formulas to him.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Rory offered as Danielle tried to ward off yet another migraine from trying, poorly, and failing to explain the concepts to Ajay. 

“Hey guys,” A casual voice greeted as the sound of someone moving on crutches drew closer. When Skye looked up she noticed a few familiar faces paired with a bright smile of a boy a few years older than her with olive colored skin and messy brown hair. 

“Jordan, how are you feeling?” Erin asked as the boy drew closer, his smile bright as he stopped near the table.

“Pretty OK, doc said I could switch to a boot soon so I’ve only got a few more days on crutches. What are you all doing here?”

“Study session,” Rory said, “We’re trying to help Ajay raise his grade so he can go back to directing.”

“Oh, I see, do you guys need any help?”

“Actually we were thinking of taking a break,” Danielle added as she stretched out in her seat.

“Gotcha, well we were going to head over to the art museum across the street if you guys wanted to tag along.”

Jordan gestured to a few other members of his friend group. A shy looking girl with blonde hair, a studious looking boy with black hair, and the Maria girl that showed Skye around during her makeshift orientation day were among the group of friends. Skye recognized the last two. Caleb Mitchel and Michael Harrison, two of her brother’s ex friends. Caleb had been Brian’s friend since they were in elementary together. He was a nice enough kid, but he was the type to let Brian walk all over him. He wasn’t as strong-willed as Michael. Skye’s first memory of Michael Harrison was when she was about middle school age. Brian had him over at the house one day and while the two were thinking of jumping in the water Skye had been around the edge wanting to sketch the reflection of the sun on the surface. Brian had pushed her in the pool when she wasn’t looking and was almost immediately told off by Michael who had told him that it wasn’t cool and had helped Skye out of the pool since she hadn’t been a strong swimmer then.

Skye had always thought he was cool. Way cooler than her brother. He even liked tech and punk music. 

Michael seemed to recognize her as he scanned the table of theatre kids. He grinned and strutted over, ruffling her hair with a chuckle.

“It’s been a while short-stack, I heard about your Hearst brawl. I knew you’d snap eventually.”

Skye knocked his hand away and tried to look more or less stoic as Michael continued grinning.

“You two know each other?” Maria asked as she glanced between the two.

“We met back when I was friends with Brian,” Michael explained as he turned his attention away from Skye and to the rest of his friends. His grin quickly morphed into a smirk, “pretty sure I broke her heart.”

Skye tried not to blush, it had been more or less true that she did develop a bit of a crush on him back when him and Brian were friends, however their friendship ended within a few years and soon Michael was just another person who Brian viewed as a loser and uncool.

Skye had been a little heartbroken about it.

“Careful, if you keep gloating like that people are going to think you and Brian are still friends.”

“Still rolling with the punches I see,” Michael chuckled, “good.”

After a bit more casual chatter the theatre kids, mainly Ajay, agree that a break is much needed. They gather their things and walk over with Jordan’s group of friends towards the art gallery.

Jordan auditioned for the  _ Magic Kingdom _ , Skye was filled in by Emma as they walked about the accident with the cube that caused Jordan to break his leg. Bailey’s expression immediately turned downcast at the story.

“I’m still really sorry, I didn’t know anyone was going to stand on it,” Bailey offered as she turned to the two, “I was the one who brought the prop to the stage, I was trying to help set up and maybe I didn’t place it right.”

“It was an accident, Jordan doesn’t blame you.” Emma assured as the group entered the gallery. There were paintings and sculptures from local abstract artists displayed throughout the small rooms. 

“What does this mean?” Ajay asked as he gestured grandly to a sculpture, “I really don’t get this kind of art.”

“It’s the math of art,” Rory whispered in wonder as they looked at the pieces, “what formula does this painting represent.”

“Rory, shut up.”

Ajay and Rory started their usual bickering at the rest of the group spread out across the gallery. Skye slipped away from where Erin, Rory, and Ajay were walking and headed over to the darker charcoal and heavy paint impressionist style drawings. There are several smaller groups of people crowded around certain pieces, a few of the artists were caught by fans or art students who wanted to ask questions.

Skye noticed Bailey in one of the more deserted areas of the gallery, gazing seriously at an abstract sculpture. Skye gravitated over to her before she could think about it. The blonde's eyes were narrowed seriously as she tried to figure out the sculpture.

"Hey," Bailey jumped at Skye's voice before turning to the redhead, a shy expression on her face.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come over."

Bailey grinned and gestured to the sculpture in front of them. It was a metal looking thing with lots of twisting parts and sharper edges.

"I don't really get a lot of abstract art. But it's fun to look at. I wonder what the artist was thinking here."

Skye glanced over the metal sculpture in front of them, a gentle silence settling between then. Bailey's phone buzzed and when the girl went to see what the notification was for Skye caught sight of the tiny blue dinosaur hanging from her phone case. The sight of the keychain made Skye feel unusually happy for a moment. Bailey giggled at something on her phone before turning to Skye.

"Erin says we should head back soon, apparently Rory isn't helping Ajay relax and now the abstract art is stressing him out."

“I have a feeling Rory in general can’t help Ajay relax,” Skye mused as they walked together around the small room, slowly making their way through the gallery and back towards the entrance, “They don’t seem to get along.”

“I think bickering is their way of showing how much they care about each other,” Bailey smiled as she stopped by one of the watercolors hanging on the wall, “Ajay and Rory are really good friends. It just looks like they fight alot because they want to push each other to do better. Though, I don’t think Ajay would admit to that so easily.”

Skye thought for a moment. Ajay did always push all the actors when they rehearsed. Every scene had to be perfect before he’d move on to the next. Rory was never really the blunt of his rage during rehearsal now that Skye really thought about it. Rory’s scenes were always great with just a little critique from Ajay every now and again to adjust a scene or the next. Outside of rehearsal though, the two bickered about the strangest things. 

Honestly, Skye didn’t get it. But she’s sure there’s a lot she doesn’t get about those kinds of relationships. She couldn’t really say she’s had any friends before to even judge how Ajay and Rory acted towards each other. She’s not sure if Lilith counted at all and she really hadn’t been able to make many other friends with online school and in and out trips to the hospital.

“Are you okay?” 

Skye jumped at Bailey’s voice, turning to see concerned green eyes looking at her.

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

Bailey's smile is gentle, “did you want to talk about it?”

It’s not the first time she’s asked. It wasn’t the first time she’s caught Skye in her own head either. Skye thought for a moment, almost considering telling the girl everything, but that would just make her worry. Just like Lilith, she’ll start to lie to Skye, she’ll start to become fake or maybe she’ll think it’s easier to leave. Was revealing even a part of the darkness Skye carried around with her worth losing someone over? The denial is on the tip of her tongue, the urge to push Bailey away from the darkness gnawing at her stomach.

“It’s nothing.”

Bailey didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push farther. After a moment Skye felt Bailey’s hand brush faintly against hers, a gentle warmth hit her as the smell of the sugary, fruity shampoo grew a hair closer to her. Bailey gently nudged her shoulder with her own.

She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. There’s a reassurance to the silence that gently warmed the space between them. Bailey was a really kind person. Skye could tell that even with the short time they had spent together. Bailey was a really good person and there was a selfish part of Skye that wanted to tell her everything. But that wasn’t the right thing to do. Bailey had her own darkness, even if she only showed it in the briefest of glances. Little shadows that darkened her bright green eyes.

The head back to the library in silence. Ajay sulked a bit as they all sat back down at their usual table near the back of the library.

“Alright troops, it’s the final support. Skye and Erin are on the front lines, Danielle and Natalie are to provide backup, Trevor and Clint are our artillery, Bailey and I are moral support.”

The last chapter was the hardest, even Erin had difficulty explaining the problems and Skye could feel a headache burning against her temples. Trevor tried to help but after a few minutes of only confusing Ajay more, Erin had waved him off gently so that she could help get Ajay back on track. After what felt like hours they had finished the final chapter. Ajay slammed the book shut with a victorious grin.

“I get it, I’ve got this.”

The cheer that pulled through the theatre kids was enough to cause the few other people in the library to turn to them with sour looks. Skye leaned back in her chair, stretching for a second as everyone started to pack up.

“I’m starving, what time is it?”

“A little past eight, wanna hit the Golden Griddle for some food?”

Skye felt all the color drain from her face in an instant. A sick feeling of dread sat in her stomach as she looked at her phone to see the time staring back at her.  **8:23 pm** . It had felt like they had been explaining things to Ajay for hours because it was hours. She had missed the company dinner.

She missed dinner.

She had completely forgotten about it. How had she gotten so sidetracked? She had an alarm set on her phone and everything, why hadn’t it sounded? Did she forget to set it? 

Her parents are going to kill her.

She’s dead.

Bailey seemed to be the first person to notice how pale Skye had gotten. Skye only faintly hears her name from the other girl’s lips before she jumped up and ran out of the library like a bat out of hell. She heard the bang of the chair falling over in her wake as she rushed out the library doors and directly into someone about to enter.

The smell of Axe body spray hit her hard and only confirmed her greatest fear.

“Ow, I told you she was here.” 

Brian stood at the entrance wearing a nice dark blue suit their mother had picked out for him. He’s annoyed expression quickly turned to a smirk. The family car was parked right in front of the library in the no parking zone and her parents stood there with horrible glares.

“Only a freak like you would miss dinner to nerd in the library,” Brian added as he grabbed her arm and yanked her down the front steps of the library and to their parents. Her mother scowled at her, wearing a navy blue cocktail dress accented with silver and Swarovski crystals matching her father’s tailored suit perfectly. 

“There you are! Do you have any idea how you’ve embarrassed us tonight,” Her mother dug into her first, her yell loud enough to echo down the streets surrounding the library, “everyone was asking ‘where’s your daughter’, ‘where’s your daughter’, and you were nowhere!”

“This is absolutely unacceptable! Is this how you repay the kindness we showed you when we saved your life? Do you think it was cheap for us to keep you alive?”

Her father’s voice was filled with venom, his eyes like ice as they pierced through Skye’s. The smaller redhead couldn’t help but turn away as her father’s voice bellowed in anger.

“Do you think we keep you around for fun? Do you think this is funny? Cute? Is that head of yours filled with delusions of what’s acceptable as a member of this family? You belong to me, when I ask you to do something, you do it. Or are you ungrateful for the care your mother and I gave to you when you were on your deathbed?”

“Please, not here.” 

Skye’s voice came out barely louder than a whisper. Her father scoffed a second before Skye felt her hair being yanked, forcing her to look up at his angry face.

“Why not? You had no trouble embarrassing us at dinner. Mr. Vidal didn’t want anything to do with us since we didn’t have you around to entertain his daughter. We were forced to entertain lower class dogs to keep face and do you know what they asked?”

Skye can’t answer, her voice caught in her chest.

“They asked where our daughter was and soon dinner ended with no sign of the daughter we loved to good health with our time and money and the blessing of life.”

He let go of Skye’s hair with a light shove causing Skye to step back. This wasn’t unusual, her father’s anger was a force that haunted the Crandall house. His temper was the reason for so many unspoken rules. There were whispers and scuffled noises of passersby that caught the shouting and had turned in the direction of the fancy Candall family car and Mr. Crandall standing there in all his wealth yelling at a young girl. No one did anything but watch. No one ever did anything besides watch. 

“I’m sorry,” 

“Sorry? You’re sorry?” Skye flinched at her father’s voice, “Are you sorry you embarrassed us or sorry that we wasted our time investing in your life just for you to throw it all away. Clearly you don’t understand how this works. It was my money that kept you alive, that means you’re in depth to us. But clearly your life doesn’t matter to you otherwise you’d be far more grateful of what we’ve done to keep you alive.”

… Maybe it didn’t matter. 

Skye’s nails dug into the fabric of her sleeve, she could feel the gazes of the onlookers, she could feel her mother’s cold blue eyes and her brother’s teasing smirk. She could feel the burn of her father’s rage threatening to consume her. This was her fault and she couldn’t help but feel like she deserved this. If she hadn’t missed the dinner, she wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the street getting yelled at. How dare she start to feel comfortable with the company of other people. How dare she start to enjoy a life that wasn’t hers. 

“Are these the friends you ditched us to hang out with?”

Her mother’s words make her blood run cold. Skye looked very briefly over her shoulder to see Bailey, Ajay, and Erin standing by the entry of the library. Skye’s backpack in Bailey’s hand. She had completely forgotten it on her rush to run away. The three stared at the scene, wide eyed and confused. It filled Skye with a new dread.

Now they know. Now they know the kind of family Skye came from, they were going to be scared off by her father’s temper and her mother’s snide remarks and her brother being his usual douche-y self. 

“Answer your mother.”

Her father’s voice is lower, a warning.

“I… we were studying and-”

“Did I ask?”

Skye startled a bit at her father’s sudden interruption.

“These must be the other sick kids Mrs. Rivera insisted you meet with once a week for that bullcrap support group,” Mr. Crandall growled, “sad to see such low-class children rebel against their hard-working families by being insolent little brats.”

“They didn’t do anything!” 

Skye felt her father’s gaze turn back to her, red hot fire turning into sharp ice.

“I know you didn’t just talk back to me.”

Skye knew better then to try to follow it up with anything. Her nails dug deeper into her arm until she could feel the pinch on her skin. 

“Wait a second,” Bailey’s voice cut through the crowd and Skye was more than alarmed to find the girl standing very close to them, “let’s all just calm down a minute.”

“Excuse me, do you know who I am? I am Roger Crandall, I will do whatever I please and some pathetic brat like you isn’t going to tell me what to do.”

“I don’t think that means you get to talk to your daughter like that.”

Bailey held her ground for a moment. For a horrible moment before Skye’s father reached out, shoving her shoulder to knock her away from her place between Skye and himself. Skye watched her fall back against the concrete steps with a yelp. Skye’s backpack fell from her arms onto the ground where she had previously been standing.

Skye can’t do anything. She’s frozen in her place until she feels her father’s hand wrap around her arm tightly, yanking her towards him.

“You don’t want to spend time with us so badly, so be it. Don’t even think about setting foot into my house without a proper apology.”

She watched as her mother and brother got back into the fancy car, her brother chucking a heart felt “have fun sleeping in the gutter” at her before he closed the door. Her father snorted and shoved her back before walking around and getting into the passenger seat, yelling at the driver to take them home.

The car sped out of sight, leaving Skye standing outside the library in total darkness.

“Bailey are you okay? I can’t believe he pushed you like that!”

Erin’s voice. Skye chanced a look at Bailey and noticed to her horror the scrape on her elbow, dark red blood running down her skin.

It’s your fault.

Her brain screamed at her as Skye tried to slip away. She didn't get far before she felt Ajay lay a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

“Are you okay?”

His voice was gentle, calm and patient as she shook in her spot. She’s too afraid to look at him, worried of the anger or disappointment she might find in his eyes. She’s not okay. She’s so far from okay. She bit down the urge to cry right then and there.

“Skye?”

Bailey’s voice called out to her the way only Bailey’s could, warm and gentle. Skye looked at her in utter shame. The girl got hurt because of her. Because she was stupid and left her backpack. If she hadn’t come running for her, she wouldn’t have seen the confrontation with her father and she wouldn’t have foolishly tried to stop it. Defending Skye was a horrible idea, why had this girl stuck her neck out so much for Skye?

“Why don’t we meet up with the others and get some food?”

Skye shook her head at Erin’s words, simply because if she spoke she’d break. She didn’t want to be near people, she just wanted to hide from everything. Erin took a few steps closer and Skye felt her body shake harder in fear.

“It’s my treat,” Erin tried to convince her, “you need to eat, none of us ate dinner and it’s not good to skip meals.”

Skye shook her head again.

“The Golden Griddle has really good food though, and-”

Skye shook her head before Erin could finish. There were too many people. She didn’t want to be around people.

“What if we went back to my place?” Bailey’s voice asked, “Just the four of us, I can make something for us. It’ll be quieter then the diner.”

“Does that sound better?” Erin asked softly, 

Skye started to shake her head again only to have Bailey interrupt.

“What if it’s just you and me?”

Bailey’s closer now, Skye can feel her presence much closer than before. Slowly she felt Bailey take her hand gently, not yet pulling her in any direction. It was like a tiny tether, a little lifeline as she waited far more patiently then she needed to for Skye’s answer.

After a moment Skye gave the smallest nod. The three around her exchange a few words before Bailey’s hand wrapped around hers a bit tighter before Bailey started leading her away. Skye doesn’t pay attention to where they’re going, doesn’t pay attention to a single turn or twist in the road. Bailey led her through the town with her backpack on her shoulder and Skye’s backpack on her free arm.

Bailey didn’t let go of her hand until they were inside the small suburban house. Skye noticed it wasn’t too far from her own. A white floof bounced over to them as Bailey released Skye's hand for a moment to place their backpacks down by the door and kick off her shoes. The white dog bounced around Skye first. He tried to jump up on her before Bailey quickly corrected him.

"No jumping Frosty, gentle."

Frosty whimpered for a second before he sat down, gazing up at Skye with a doggy smile. 

"Make yourself at home! I'm gonna start some food. Pasta sound good?"

"What about your arm?" Skye's voice was hesitant as she glanced at the drying blood on Bailey’s arm. The other girl followed her gaze for a moment before looking back at her.

"It's nothing, it's already stopped bleeding. I'll wash up and grab a bandage before I make food."

"I'm sorry," Skye's voice constricted against her throat, "it's my fault."

"It's not your fault."

"If I hadn't forgotten about that stupid company dinner then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Skye," Bailey stepped closer, her voice barely a whisper between them, "it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is!"

Skye's voice barked back so much louder than she meant it to. Bailey’s eyes widened as her eyes met hers.

"I messed up, I forgot about the dinner and that made him angry so it is my fault! He wouldn't have pushed you or said those things about you and Ajay. So don't try to lie and say its not my fault."

Bailey’s having none of it. In a second Skye felt the girl draw closer, capturing her hands. Skye froze for a second at the contact. 

“I want to tell you something and I want you to listen to me okay?”

Skye gave the faintest of nods. Bailey doesn’t start talking. It took a minute before Skye looked up at her, Bailey smiled before she spoke.

“That wasn't okay, the way your parents talked to you wasn’t okay. You don’t deserve to be talked to like that. You’re not in debt to them, you’re their  _ daughter _ . They should be happy to have you. Not hold everything against you.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Tell me why it’s not that simple. Because I guarantee you there’s no reason for your parents to treat you like that.”

“They kept me alive, Bailey. I was really sick when I was younger. I was in the hospital all the time. My dad always got angry about bill after bill from the hospital from me having to stay there for days or weeks on end.”

“You didn’t ask to be there,” Bailey’s thumbs rub against the back of Skye’s hands, “if you were sick and needed help, it’s your parents job to protect you and to try to help you. They can’t turn around and hold it over your head.”

“Anything that embarasses my family can be held over my head,” Skye muttered, “They’re all about their image. Everything can be used for leverage. When I got sick that was all they talked about. Their poor daughter in the hospital, look at how well behaved she is. If I did anything that was out of line they’d get angry.”

Skye sighed, resisting the urge to pull her hand away from Bailey’s to run it through her hair in frustration.

“When I was eight I had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. I missed some corporate thing that my parents wanted to parade me to so they were already on edge. There was another kid who kept crying at night, so I didn’t get much sleep for the first few days. The third night the kid wasn’t crying so I thought I could finally sleep. Then one of the nurses pricked my finger to do a blood sugar test just as I fell asleep. I screamed and cried for hours and ended up coughing up blood and freaking out the entire ER. The second my dad found out he waited for the nurse to leave the room and told me if I ever embarrassed him like that again he’d make sure I’d have a reason to cry.”

Skye can’t remember ever crying again after the cold look her father gave her. Ever since then she held it, bit down on her tongue and held her breath when the need came. Swallowed the pain and blinked back the burn of tears. If her father saw her crying, he would surely hit her. He was one of those who believed a few good hits to a child was the only way to really discipline them. Brian had gotten hit several times that Skye had seen. Usually for messing up football plays or getting into trouble with rich executive’s daughters. Skye was too afraid that crying would lead to her father getting angry with her again.

“That’s horrible, you were a kid. Anyone would have cried like that.”

“It doesn’t matter, the only thing that mattered is that my parents want the appearance of a perfect family. And perfect families didn’t have children throwing temper tantrums because of a finger prick. It was bad enough I wasn’t healthy like Brian, but then when I got better I had to fit into the mold more than ever.”

Skye scoffed, a very humorless laugh escaping her.

“The only time they’re ever nice to me is when we’re in public, at home it’s like they’re trying to press me into the mold of the perfect daughter. My mother even tried to get me into ice skating just so I’d be more athletic and have a nicer figure.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your figure! Wait sorry, that sounded weird, carry on.” 

Bailey turned away blushing.

“I hate that they’re only nice to me to save face, but at home it’s different. What happened tonight is an everyday occurrence. I wish…”

Skye trailed off, maybe that was enough. Bailey gave her hands a reassuring squeeze.

“What is it?”

“I wish they cared about me like a normal family would. I wish they’d listen to me. Get to know what I’m interested in instead of forcing me to be interested in what they want. I wish they were less cruel. I wish I could wake up and they’d hug me and we’d make pancakes or something…”

There was so much more she wanted to say but the words stopped. Her throat contracted with a contained sob as she blinked against the burning in her eyes. She wished her mother smiled at her. She wished her father didn’t hit her. She wished her parents didn’t make horrible comments about her clothes or her makeup. She wished her brother looked out for her. She wished that… she knew what it was like to get a genuine hug from either of her parents.

“I’ll hug you as soon as you wake up tomorrow and we can make pancakes,” Bailey offered gently, “I’ll show you how the Golden Griddle makes the best pancakes in the world and we’ll eat until we can’t move.”

“That’s sweet, but that doesn’t replace my parents doing those things.”

“I know,” Bailey’s voice is saddened for a moment, recalling Skye’s situation, “but I’ll do them anyway if that’s what makes you happy.”

“I don’t need you to pretend to like me just because you feel bad for me.”

“... look at me,” Bailey said a bit sharply, causing Skye to jerk her head to look at the other girl, “I don’t need to pretend to like you, I already like you. You’re my friend and I want to do everything I can to help you. So if there’s anything I can do, you let me know okay?”

Bailey’s eyes were so genuine and honest that it shocked Skye. She tried to find any form of falsehood or lie hiding in green eyes, but there was none there. Bailey’s own sadness and determination reflected in her eyes.

“You’re not done with me? After my dad pushed you?”

“Of course not!”

“And… you’re not going to leave… even knowing my family might do something like this again?”

“I’m not going to leave you, I promise.”

They were so direct, no half-assed answer or half-promise or evasion. Bailey was telling the truth. Bailey really was that good of a person, to promise such a thing to someone like her who could have easily scared her away. 

Bailey’s expression changed for a second, a look of concern spread across her face before Skye felt one of her hands leave Skye’s and move towards her face. Skye flinched for a second as Bailey’s thumb brushed dampness from under her eyes.

When had she started crying?

Skye became more aware of the fast moving water down her face, she took a shaky breath and tried to quickly wipe the tears away only to feel Bailey pull her into a hug, trapping her in steady warmth. It felt like a wall coming down. Skye’s body slumped against Bailey, the tears quickly absorbing in her flannel shirt as her arms secured themselves around Skye. Skye felt her arms wrap tightly around Bailey’s waist, squeezing tightly as if she let go Bailey would disappear. 

But she doesn’t. She stays there in Skye’s grasp, humming a show tune Skye can’t identify and rubbing comforting circles into Skye’s shoulder blades. 


	4. Sugar-Coated Sunshine

Skye woke up to the faint smell of lavender wafting off the pillow where she had buried her head. The entire room seemed to be bathed in an unfamiliar warmth as Skye slowly blinked away sleep. It took a moment for the events of the night before to float back to her. She was at Bailey’s house, sprawled out on the couch with a soft blanket draped over her shoulders. Her hair smelled faintly of gushers, a subtle reminder of Bailey allowing Skye to use her shower and borrow her clothes to sleep in for the night despite Skye informing her that she didn’t need to go that far to make the redhead comfortable.

But Bailey had insisted and Skye had been too tired to say no. She had cleaned up while Bailey made dinner and the two ate in an unusually comfortable silence before Bailey excused herself to use the shower and change. The two then watched movies on the couch until they fell asleep.

Sunlight poured into the room as Skye turned her head to avoid it as she woke up from an otherwise dead sleep. The air was warm and Skye could hear rustling from the next room over. When she opened her eyes she saw Bailey wasn’t in her spot at the end of the sectional where she had been when they started the first movie. With a roll and a groan Skye pushed herself over and upward so she could check the time on her phone, seeing it was close to nine thirty in the morning.

Skye shifted on the couch, sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. The house hummed in a comfortable silence, the faintest smell of something sweet hanging in the air. Skye’s hands drop down to the soft blanket that had fallen to her lap. She shifted slightly before she raised her hand to her face to rub away the remaining sleep from her eyes, noticing the angry red marks maring her pale skin.

_ So that’s what Lilith meant. _

Skye shoved the long sleeve over her arm before glancing around the room. The Jackson household was a cozy yet vacant feeling place with well-loved pieces of furniture decorated with knick-knacks and a sparse selection of photographs. A few cute snowglobes decorated the bookshelf in the corner, a faint powdering of dust clinging to the glass.

A soft humming caught her attention and she looked over the couch towards the entryway to the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Bailey moving about with her messy blonde hair down still wearing her fuzzy Dr. Who sleep pants and mis-matched Percy Jackson T-shirt. Skye rested her chin on the back of the couch, watching as Bailey danced around the kitchen for a few minutes humming the tune of Suppertime from  _ Little Shop of Horrors _ . After a second Skye ventured off the couch and started towards the kitchen. The second her feet hit the tile of the kitchen floor Bailey turned her head, broke out in a huge smile, and crossed the kitchen to wordlessly pull Skye into a gentle hug. 

“Morning Sleepyhead! I was worried you were going to sleep through breakfast,” Bailey pulled away, eyes sparkling, “I waited for you so we could make pancakes together.”

_ She had meant it then. _

She hadn’t just said something to make Skye feel better at that moment, she was serious about hugging her that morning and making pancakes together. Bailey gently guided Skye by the hand towards the counter where all their ingredients were set up.

“I’ve never made pancakes before, so I’m not going to be very good at it.”

“You have nothing to worry about! I’m a master of the pancakes art. I’ll be the head cook, you can be my sous chef.”

Skye had no idea what that meant.

But the way Bailey’s eyes lit up? It drew a smile to Skye’s face as Bailey started explaining the first few steps of putting everything together. After a few minutes Bailey turned to preheat the pan on the stovetop.

“Are your parents already at the diner?”

Skye asked as she whisked together the wet ingredients as Bailey had shown her.

“Yeah, brunch is really busy on the weekends. I usually help, but mom got really excited about me having a friend sleep over and insisted I take the day off,” Bailey spoke softly, “she was really happy.”

Skye only nodded as she focused on her task. She recalled briefly what Mrs. Jackson had said to them in the diner about wanting Bailey to have more of a life outside work and school. Bailey turned back and tended to the dry ingredients for a moment, giving it a short whisk.

“Ok, now we have to combine the dry and wet ingredients, like this.”

After a few more minutes the two bowls were combined into a smooth batter. Bailey smiled, looking up at Skye for a moment before giggling.

“What?”

“Sorry, you have flour on your face.” 

Bailey moved her hand up, brushing the side of Skye’s jaw. Skye could feel the rough texture of flour spread across her cheek.

“I may have made it worse…”

Skye frowned for a moment before raising her hands close to Bailey and clapping them together creating a puff of white dust in the air. Bailey yelped and moved her hand to fan the dust away.

“Now we’re even.”

Bailey only shook her head, giggling.

“Fair. The pan needs another minute to heat up. Are you a coffee or a tea person?”

“Coffee.”

“Coming right up!” Bailey smiled and reached up to gather a few mugs from the shelf. She moved about the kitchen, setting a tea bag in one and grabbing the coffee pot from the machine on the counter and pouring it into the other. She danced about the kitchen to fetch the cream from the fridge, “I can get sugar too, how do you take your coffee?”

“Just the cream is fine,” Skye assured as Bailey moved back to grab the kettle on the stove and pour hot water into her own glass. Skye fixed her coffee while Bailey started ladling batter onto the pan dusting it with cinnamon as it started to bubble on the pan. Skye watched her from her place by the counter, taking a sip from her slightly bitter hot drink. 

Bailey looked really happy. It felt more genuine then normal. Bailey seemed to be glowing as she stacked pancakes on two plates. 

“Sit, sit! I’m almost done!”

Bailey shooed Skye towards the table as she grabbed the plates and skipped over, placing the plates on either side of the small round kitchen table. Bailey skipped around the kitchen one last time to finish prepping her tea and grabbing some jars and almost dropping everything as she made her way back to the table.

“We have apple preserves, my personal favorite, apricot, and blueberry syrup,” Bailey listed as she placed the jars on the table, “my mom and I made these yesterday. They’re favorites at the diner.”

Bailey dropped herself in her usual charming and graceless way into her chair, loading her pancakes up with apple preserves and shoveling inhuman amounts of food into her mouth. Skye chuckled as she watched her usual goofiness before reaching over for the apple jar and following Bailey’s lead. The two fell into a comfortable rhythm enjoying warm pancakes in the lazy weekend air. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Bailey broke the silence shyly.

“Sure.”

“So, you were in the hospital a lot as a kid? Your parents were yelling about it yesterday…”

“Yeah,” Skye said as she looked up at the other girl, “I was really sick growing up. Since I was six I’ve had to go to the hospital for weeks or months on end. My parents always acted like it was an inconvenience, but they were always the first to bring up how sick I was to potential business partners when they thought it would help them tug on their heartstrings to make a deal. That’s what they wanted last night, but I forgot about the dinner, so I wasn’t around to parade like a doll. So they were angry.”

Bailey nodded, scraping the remaining pancake essence off her plate.

“Are you still sick? I mean, will you have to go back to the hospital?”

“Huh? Ah, no, I had surgery a few years ago so I’m okay now.”

“That’s good,” Bailey smiled, relieved, “I’m glad.”

There was a warmth to Bailey’s statement, her little smile that followed only confirmed that it was true. She was happy Skye was alright. It seemed like such a strange thing to be happy about. Yet Skye felt a small smile make its way to her face, matching Bailey’s as their eyes met for the briefest of moments before the front door swung open and a parade of energy flooded into the house.

“BAI-LEY!”

Rory called as they marched through the house like an elephant, smiling bright and excited as they barged into the kitchen with the energy of a hurricane.

“Oh! Skye’s here too! HI SKYE!”

Why were they so loud today? Skye only blinked as Bailey flashed a smile in greeting. 

“Hi Rory, did you want pancakes? I can make a few for you.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I was just stopping by to see if you wanted to go to the mall with me. Sydney was going to come along but she can’t make it now. We were going to grab some stuff for the play. Skye, you should come too.”

Bailey looked over at Skye, letting her make the decision of whether or not to go. Skye only shrugged.

“I do need paint for the set. Trevor was going to get it last weekend but he forgot.”

Rory nodded.

“I remember that, Ajay was ready to pull his own hair out,” Rory mused, “let’s all go together then, we can keep everything in my car until Monday.”

“I have a key to get into the theatre room,” Skye explained, “I was going to go this weekend to paint the sets so they would be dry for rehearsal. Trevor gave me his key.”

“Even better! I can drive once you two are ready.”

Rory smiled brightly at the two, though their eyes lingered a bit on Bailey before they went to make themselves at home in the family room. Bailey smiled and collected their dishes and put them in the sink before turning to Skye with an excited look.

“You can borrow some of my clothes, I have some black that I think would fit you!”

Before Skye can even think of turning down the offer she’s grabbed by the wrist and whisked through the house. Frosty leaping up from his napping spot in the kitchen to follow them. White fur trailing at Skye’s heels up the stairs and down the hall to Bailey’s room. 

Bailey’s room is… or at least feels… very Bailey. There are warm wood tones throughout the space, a small desk in the corner, a beanbag chair tossed in the corner, grey shelves holding books and knick knacks on the walls and a spray of polaroid photos strung up.

Bailey’s already in her closet as soon as she releases Skye’s wrist. Skye watched as she presented a few black pieces from her closet, a focused and serious look on her face. After a few minutes Bailey turned to Skye and smiled.

“Take anything you want. We’re about the same size. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?”

“No, go ahead, it is your house after all.”

Bailey nodded as she grabbed a few pieces and left Skye to her own in the light room. Skye glanced over Bailey’s closet, her selection of black was a bit limited, not surprising as Bailey was more a canvas for color. Skye looked through and pulled a longer black tunic style sweater and a dark burgundy pair of leggings to go with it. A bit more casual than she usually went, but she wasn’t particularly feeling picky about what she wore today. Especially since she was borrowing from Bailey instead of going home to change. Frosty sat by her side as she picked out the pieces and went to sit on Bailey’s bed to wait for Bailey to be done with the bathroom. The bed faced the desk and the single window that had a perfect view of the house next door. Rory’s house if Skye remembered correctly. The two had mentioned being neighbors a few times in rehearsal and Skye recalled Bailey saying they used to send messages out their bedroom windows to each other as kids.

Frosty laid down on the floor by her feet and Skye occupied herself by running her fingers through his soft white fur until Bailey materialized in the doorway. She smiled and showed Skye across the hall to the bathroom, ensuring the girl she could use whatever she liked before leaving the room and heading back towards the family area where Rory waited.

Skye got dressed and washed her face. The toothbrush Bailey had lent her the night before sat in the cup next to Bailey’s as if it had lived there for years despite only being released from it’s plastic prison the night before. The dark blue brush sat next to Bailey’s matching red one. After taming her bright red mane of hair she remembered her makeup bag was still in her backpack downstairs. Looking at herself in the mirror, her light toned freckles were much more visible without the layer of foundation.

Skye made her way down the steps with Frosty at her heels. Rory and Bailey looked to be engaged in conversation, so she meandered over to her backpack and pulled her makeup bag from its place unnoticed before slipping back up the stairs to the sound of Rory’s laughter. It felt a little strange having Rory there now as well. Skye felt a bit like a third wheel as she finished her makeup and headed down the hall towards the stairs, glancing briefly at some of the pictures hung on the wall. A few were of a young Bailey, school portraits. A few of the areas on the wall were blank, discolored where a photo might have hung before.

Bailey and Skye are whisked away into Rory’s old Honda, which they have affectionately named. Bailey seemed to hesitate before slinking into the passenger seat while Skye settled in the back. The soundtrack for  _ Wicked _ played through the dusty old car speakers as they drove. Rory harmonized with Glinda’s parts effortlessly as they pulled away from the sleepy suburban area and towards the more busy shopping district of Cedar Cove. 

“What do we need to get for Sydney?” 

Bailey asked as Rory stopped at the stop light. Rory hummed before pulling a piece of paper from their pocket and handing it over to Bailey.

“She gave me a list, we need a few accent pieces for the Witch, she wanted us to look for a hair accessory for the princess, and some fabrics so she can finish altering Erin’s king costume and fix up the throne that we’re using for a few of Erin’s scenes.”

“Ok, and Skye needs paint to finish up the set, should we start with that?”

“You don’t have to stick with me to get paint. You’d probably get bored watching me over fixate on every shade of grey for the castle.”

“I get why you and Ajay get along,” Rory mused with a smile as they glanced at Skye through the rearview mirror, “always fixating on the details.”

Rory pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine, smiling at Bailey.

“Divide and conquer then?”

The three split up once they got to the main entrance of Cedar Cove mall, Bailey and Rory headed towards the fabric and craft chain store at one end while Skye headed over to the home improvement store to get paint. She pulled up the samples on her phone that Trevor recommended to her as well as some pictures of old castles for inspiration. A light wash grey would be nice, but she also had to consider the lighting and how the undertones of the grey would affect the light in each scene.

There were a lot of grey options. Some with blue or lilac undertones while others were more white. Skye held a few samples of grey, quickly deciding against greys with bluetones in them. She held two swatches of a white grey, one more white and one with the faintest hint of a lilac town in it. 

“Can I help you miss?”

“No.”

Skye’s voice was monotone, more focused on the two shades in front of her then the poor college aged kid that worked there. Usually Skye was a bit more polite, but she needed to catch the panels in the right light to get an idea of which one to use for the base coat, then she could choose a matching dark coat and contrasting coat to add shading and texture to the castle of the set. Maybe lilac wasn’t the right tone, maybe she should stick to a more white grey and accent the shadows with something with an indigo or royal shade. It had to look like natural stone.

Skye held some of the swatches next to each other to compare values and see what could go together.

“Miss, are you sure you don’t need help?”

“I’m fine.”

A sigh and the associate walked away again. Skye stared down a line of four swatches, she had narrowed it down to that but she was still having trouble picking for certain which one would look best. A white grey with a cobalt black accent would look sharp but would it look too much like marble?

“...Hey Skye,”

“I said I’m good.”

Skye doesn’t hear footsteps walk away like the other two times. Her dark blue eyes focus on the swatches before her brain decides she was good to go. She swiped the swatches of her chosen colors and carefully put the unused ones back in their spots before turning to grab the cans, only to nearly run into Bailey as she turned.

“When did you?”

“I’ve been here almost ten minutes now,” Bailey chuckled, “I said hi to you.”

...Oh.

Skye must have still looked dumbfounded because Bailey giggled and stepped aside so Skye could get past without running into her. Skye ducked her head sheepishly and led the way down the aisle of paint cans to find the right ones for the set. 

“Where’s Rory?”

“Oh, they had to rush back home. Mrs. Silva wasn’t feeling well and Rory wanted to make sure she was okay. They said she might have caught the flu or something, so Rory wanted to take her to the hospital to get it checked out. They wanted me to tell you that there might not be a support group meeting tomorrow night unless Ajay wants to take over.”

Skye nodded. The two grabbed the cans, had them color-matched at the kiosk and headed over to pay. Bailey fumbled with her phone a bit as Skye paid for the cans, grabbed the receipt and started back towards the main area of the mall.

“Do you want me to take one of them?” Bailey asked as Skye carried the cans on her own. 

“I’m fine, there’s not that heavy.”

“Liar, I picked one of them up, they’re heavy.”

“Not for me.”

Bailey rolled her eyes playfully before checking the time on her phone.

“We have some time before the bus comes. Do you want to help me pick out the last few pieces for the Witch? I figured that should be in your wheelhouse.”

Skye nodded as she led the duo through the mall towards a goth favorite. Bailey seemed to walk a bit closer as they got to the dark colored storefront with the  _ Cryptic Looks _ sign glowing a lazy blood red. Skye smirked as she led Bailey into the familiar store. 

Skye was a frequent customer of  _ Cryptic Looks _ . It was one of the first stores she visited on her journey to becoming goth and it was still a bit of a personal favorite. Bailey on the other hand looked a bit scared as she looked around at the dark clothing and black shrouded patrons of the store.

“What do we need to find for the Witch’s costume?”

Bailey pulled out the checklist from Sydney, scanning it for a moment.

“A pendant. The previous one broke. Something to match the dress.”

Bailey held up the picture of Danielle in the costume. Skye glanced at it for a moment before turning back to the wall of pendants. There was an array of witch-themed necklaces, but for the costume, they would need more of a statement piece, preferably in a dark emerald green to pair with the rest of the costume. After a few minutes of debating, Skye felt a pressure on her shoulder and turned to see Michael standing next to her glancing at the wall.

“Hey Short-stack. Whatcha lookin’ at?”

“We’re trying to find some pieces for Sydney,” Bailey answered as Michael moved from where he had been using Skye’s shoulder as an armrest, “I didn’t know you shopped here.”

“Oh, punk and goth aren’t that too far off. Plus this place has my favorite jeans. Maria works here too so that’s an added bonus.”

Michael smiled and glanced over Bailey’s shoulder for a moment.

“Jordan’s waiting on me so I’ll leave you two to it.”

Skye went back to her task at hand, comparing a few options before settling on an emerald green pendant that would complement Danielle’s dress for the witch costume very nicely. They looked through a few more accessories before Skye looked over to see Bailey eyeing some of the clothing racks.

“Wanna join the dark side?”

Bailey jumped a little at Skye’s voice, her face taking on a sheepish look for a moment.

“I don’t know, I don’t think I could pull it off. Not as well as you do,” Bailey hummed for a moment, “but it might be fun to try. I was kinda bummed I didn’t get the witch role. This could be my chance to unleash my inner evil witch!”

“Give it a try,” Skye insisted with a smile, “I’ve got to see what evil witch Bailey looks like.”

“You have to help, you’re the experienced goth.”

“Ok ok, let’s see.”

The two did a lap around the store. Skye picked up a few pieces as Bailey debated a few from her spot, never too far away from Skye’s side. After they have a few pieces pulled Bailey headed off to one of the dressing rooms. After a few minutes Bailey exited the small room in tight black jeans, a blood red halter top and a black leather bomber jacket. She tried to strit out in an intimidating way, the illusion quickly broken by the giant grin she flashed Skye as she drew closer.

“How do I look?”

Skye examined the outfit as Bailey posed a few times before wrinkling her nose.

“No, it’s not really you. It just makes you look like my ex.”

“Ouch, dang, well I’ll try again.”

Bailey smiled and headed back into the changing room. Between ruffling the fabric she called over the door.

“So, you were dating someone?”

“It’s a long story, we broke up a little while ago,” Skye sighed, “I don’t know why I said that. I guess you’ve already seen my parents, not like telling you about my ex is going to scare you off any more than my parents could.”

“Is he one of the things you didn’t want to talk about?”

“She, and yeah… We broke up because she felt like she couldn’t be honest with me, because she didn’t want to upset me. So it felt like she was pretending to like me. When I confronted her about it, we ended up ending it.”

“I’m sorry,” Bailey’s voice is soft, and Skye immediately felt guilty.

“I’m sorry I said anything, forget I bothered you with it.”

“No,” Bailey said quickly, “I want you to bother me with it.”

“..huh?”

“I’m glad you told me, because you looked really upset keeping it to yourself,” Bailey explained, “you’re not going to scare me away.”

Her voice is always so soft, so comforting that it doesn’t take much for Skye to believe her. It felt strange, having someone that was just, Skye wasn’t sure the word. Someone who had seen some of the ugliness and darkness of Skye’s life and wasn’t running from her. Skye can’t even remember that last time she was comfortable enough to just casually let slip something that would have normally stayed trapped in the darkest parts of her brain. When had Bailey become this source of comfort and ease?

Skye doesn’t get to think more on it before Bailey reveals herself from inside the changing room, decked out in fishnet stockings, red and black plaid skirt, and sheer long sleeve shirt over a pitch black halter top. A witchy crescent moon necklace hung from her neck and a few of the bracelets and rings adorned her hands.

“I think I like this one better. It needs a red lip or something to really pull it together.”

“It looks good,” Skye swallowed as Bailey posed a bit in her outfit, trying to mimic a smoldering look for a few seconds causing Skye to burst out laughing, “ok not when you do that.”

Bailey grinned at her as Skye laughed, looking happy for a minute before she shook her head and tried to look disappointed.

“You don’t think I can pull off a smolder?”

“God no.”

“Wow, mean!”

Bailey laughed before glancing at herself in the mirror.

“I’d ask you to a concert dressed like that though,” Skye added as her laughter died down, shyly glancing over Bailey’s outfit again, “It does look good on you.”

Bailey smiled, humming a bit.

“I think I’m going to buy it. It would be nice to shake things up every now and then.”

“You like it that much?”

“Yeah!” Bailey grinned and turned back to Skye, “I feel dangerous!”

Skye snorted a laugh, “ok Dangerous, let's get that and the props taken care of. We still have a set to paint.”

Bailey saluted, “Ay Ay Captain!”

***

The set pieces were still skewed over the stage as Skye and Trevor had left them. The only difference was that Ajay was standing in front of the stage, taking notes.

“Hey Ajay! You’re here too?” Bailey called as her and Skye walked up closer to the stage. The older boy looked up surprised before looking away a bit sheepishly, coughing into his hand.

“I had some inspiration for Act 2 Scene 5 since we were having trouble with that one in rehearsal.”

“Do you have a key now too?” 

“Yeah, I had Trevor make me a copy so I wouldn’t get locked in again.”

Skye looked between the two,

“Ajay and I got locked in once. Trevor used to be the only one who had a key and this was right after Ajay banned cell phones during rehearsal so we spent the whole night in the theatre,” Bailey explained.

“Did you come to paint the set?” Ajay asked as he eyed the cans in Skye’s hands.

“Yeah, I wanted to get a head start on it. Trevor gave me his key.”

“Ok, don’t let me get in your way. Let me know how I can help.”

The three got to work setting up stations to work on the different parts of the set. The pieces were already primed so they just needed their coats of paint to bring them to life. The set Skye had proposed featured very detailed brick that was sure to take up the most time. As she set the first coat on the larger castel panel, Ajay set himself down next to her.

“How are you feeling?”

Ajay asked in a concerned voice as he turned his attention to the smaller pieces he was working on, framework for the door and frames for faux stained glass windows. 

“I’m fine,”

“Are you sure? It just seems like you’ve had a particularly rough week,” Ajay said as he looked up over at her, “I know Bailey’s been a little more forthcoming in offering help, but I want you to know you can come talk to me too if you need to. About your parents, or about a breakup or really anything.”

“Did Bailey tell you about the breakup?”

“No, I just remembered you asking me about relationships that day we were studying. Since you came to school that Monday looking so gloomy, I had an idea of what happened.”

Skye only nodded.

“It’ll get better. I’m sure she wasn’t worth it if she was only with you because of pity or to make herself feel better. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.”

“It didn’t feel negative,” Skye found herself defending Lilith without meaning to. A bit of an old habit that she hadn’t broken yet, “when it was going well.”

“A relationship can have it’s ups and downs but it shouldn’t be something that makes you feel tired.” Ajay nodded at his own explanation, “relationships can be hard, but they don’t have to take a toll on you like that.”

“... That makes sense.”

“Good,” Ajay smiled, resting a hand on Skye’s shoulder for a moment before pulling it away, “Just between you and me though. I’m glad you and Bailey are getting along. She seems a little happier today then normal.”

Skye glanced over at the other girl as she focused intently on the tree she was painting.

“Bailey’s had it rough too. I’m not sure the whole story, but Rory said it was bad for a long time and they’re worried. Sometimes I see what they are worried about. It’s easy to see Bailey smile and think that she’s not like us, that she doesn’t have a burden, but then you catch her eyes the right way, and you know the feeling. I can’t make Bailey tell us her burden, but I hope she can feel comfortable enough to tell us soon.”

“Why soon?”

“I’d rather it not interfere with the play,” Ajay turned his head away to focus on what he was painting, “as selfish as it sounds. This play is important, it could really make a difference to someone. It’s on me to make sure of that. To fill all five hundred seats and make sure we raise a lot of money… and maybe I have a personal reason.”

Skye looked over at Ajay, who seemed to feel her stare as he turned back to her.

“That break up I told you about? It caused the lead actress of the play I was directing to quit three days before the play. The understudy had no time to memorize her lines and the entire production fell apart, and it was all my fault. So I want this production to be perfect. So I made rules and standards that I won’t compromise on.”

“Like no phones at rehearsal?”

“Yes, and no dating among co-actors. We don’t need more drama then what’s already on stage.”

Skye nodded, thinking everything over as her and Ajay fell into silence, working side by side. After a few minutes Ajay shifted, cursing a bit under his breath. Skye turned over to him as he tried to readjust his metal leg to get into a more comfortable position on the floor. He caught Skye’s look from the corner of his eye.

“Sorry, sometimes I feel like an idiot learning to use this thing for the first time. After all these years you’d like I’d know how my own leg works.”

“I think I forget about that during rehearsal, you never look like that part of you is missing.”

“I’m not sure it’s a missing part, more like a new part. Something that’s become part of me. My old leg didn’t work, so I have this new leg.”

Skye hummed as she went back to painting the brickwork of the castle. 

“What are you guys talking about?” 

Bailey asked, a smear of blue paint across her cheek. Ajay chuckled a bit before answering.

“Whether or not my metal leg makes me a cyborg.”

“I think it has to be computerized or something to make you a cyborg,” Skye mused as Bailey tilted her head in thought.

“I think Skye’s right.”

“Darn, Cyborg was my favorite Teen Titan too.” 

The three chuckled as they continued painting the sets, settling into more light-hearted Ajay-teasing conversation until the first coats were painted on and the sets needed to be left to dry. Ajay bit the two farewell as his mom texted him that she was there. 

“Not driving sucks,” Ajay groaned as he grabbed his backpack.

“They should make cars metal foot friendly,” Bailey offered with a determined look.

Ajay chuckled and shook his head before throwing a final wave over his shoulder. After he was gone Skye and Bailey put the lids on the cans of paint and locked up.

***

The two stepped off the bus and Bailey walked Skye down the street for a few minutes before Skye had to turn her away. It would be bad if her parents caught her with Bailey, after everything that happened last night. Bailey agreed, defeated, before pulling Skye into a final tight hug before the two parted ways for the evening. Bailey’s warmth lingered on Skye as she walked the rest of the way in the cool October air. 

It felt different from the other times she’s walked home after a falling out with her parents. She didn’t feel as afraid, she didn’t have this gnawing feeling in her stomach, instead she felt a little lighter, a little happier maybe. Skye couldn’t really decipher the emotion, something that made her feel warm and just a little less jaded.

Those feelings linger as she walked up the little path between the driveway and the front door. The water feature lit up in the dull light caught her attention for a moment as she walked closer to the expensive marble door. She took a breath before putting her house key into the door and twisting her wrist to unlock the door. The metal lock clicked loudly before she pushed the heavy door open. She’s greeted by the bright lights and sounds of America’s Most Eligible playing in the living area. Her mother looked up from her spot on the couch, frowning instantly once she saw Skye in the doorway.

“Your father is in his study.”

She went back to her show without another word. Her father’s study was a place where only her father was allowed. Brian and her were told again and again to never go into the study. It was forbidden. They weren’t even allowed to knock on the door, meaning Skye would have to stand there until her father came out. Skye shifted uncomfortably before headed down the hall to the dreaded room. The house seemed quieter the closer she got to the study, the sounds of her mother’s TV show faded until it was nothing but a murmur against the walls. As Skye reached the mahogany french doors, she stopped in the hall and waited just outside. Far enough away that her father wouldn’t suspect her of eavesdropping, but close enough that she would be noticed as soon as he stepped out.

Then she waited, still as a statue, until she finally heard her father’s Italian leather shoes against the floor as he stepped closer to the door. The second he opened the double doors and stepped out he carried with him the smell of expensive cigars and bourbon. He turned to Skye with his face set in stone, the effects of the cigar smoke and alcohol seemed to slightly dull his glare.

“Look who came crawling back, now, do you have something to say to me?”

Her father’s voice reminds her of Brian, condescending and snarky as if he had won a trivial contest. He crossed his arms and waited with a smirk on his face.

“I’m sorry I missed dinner, it was stupid of me to forget such an important thing.”

“You’re right,” Her father’s voice scoffed, “but I suppose I can’t blame you for being stupid, someone like you knows nothing of the importance of appearances. Pitiful really, but that’s what happens when you live your life in a facility.”

“You’re right.”

Skye kept her head down, her words quietly leaving her throat as her father scoffed again.

“This is why you are unfit to represent the Crandall family, what a disappointment.”

Her father walked past her, down the hall and towards the main living area. His words hung in the air for a few moments before Skye exhaled the breath she had been holding and moved to get upstairs to her room. Inside those bright walls rested her usual prison covered in silk and gold. She took a few deep breaths trying to slow the rapid beating of her heart. Inhaling brought with it the faint smell of Bailey’s shampoo and smell of her sweater still clinging to Skye’s form. Skye dropped her backpack on the floor, wrapped herself into a ball on her bed and tried to fall asleep to the faint smell of lilac.

***

Sunday had been a blur of disappointed looks and off handed comments from her parents. Skye counted down the hours until she would be back at school, away from the glares and coldness. Monday morning Skye rushed out of the house thirty minutes earlier than normal. Mondays were a blur of classes until the after school support group meeting. For some reason, Skye felt like she was looking forward to this week's meeting, there wasn’t a lingering feeling of anxiety that lasted the last few meetings.

Morning classes passed by uneventfully. Soon Skye found herself setting her try down at the theatre kid table across from Ajay. The older boy raised his head and gave her an acknowledging nod before going back to his notebook. Clint and Natalie were seated a few seats away on Skye’s side, talking loudly as always. Usually their conversations consisted entirely of Rory. But today, they seemed to have an addition to their conversation.

“Bailey’s so lucky,” Natalie sighed as she played with her pasta salad in her tray, “I bet her and Rory will be officially dating before opening night.”

Skye doesn’t enter the conversation, but she tuned in as soon as Bailey’s name started going back and forth.

“They’re so cute together,” Clint agreed, “and they looked really good dancing together at homecoming.”

“It was like a princess fairy tale!”

Skye looked past the two as Bailey entered the cafetera, talking and smiling with Rory. She looked lovely in her black skirt and light denim blouse combo, her mine like sunshine personified brightening up the cafeteria. And then there was Rory, smiling back at Bailey like they were the only two people in the world. The two walk through the cafeteria like they belong together. It’s a thought that makes an unsettled feeling sit in Skye’s stomach. She looked away, trying to tune out their gossip.

After a few minutes she felt someone settle next to her, she looked up to see Bailey, still in conversation with Rory and Erin as more of the theatre kids filled the table. Bailey turned her head.

“Hey,”

“Hey.”

It’s the extent of the conversation before Natalie pulled her in with suggestive remarks about how her and Rory were starting to look more and more like Abigail and Eve from the play. Her and Clint swoon at the idea while Rory just laughed a bit. A faint blush spread across Bailey’s cheeks as she grew a bit more quiet.

Skye tried to push down the uneasy feeling as she watched the two a bit more. It didn’t make sense, what did she care of Bailey and Rory were a thing? It wasn’t like she like- _ liked _ Bailey…

Because that wouldn’t make sense.

Because what reason did she have? Because Bailey was nice to her? Because Bailey smiled at her? Because Bailey made everything feel not so bad?

Skye shook off the feeling, she didn’t know Bailey, she couldn’t have feelings for her.

***

Ajay was running the meeting tonight. The boy stood tall at the front of the circle as everyone else filtered in. Skye and Bailey settling in seats next to each other out of habit. Bailey turned to her as they sat down, flashing her a small smile.

“Is it weird that I’m kinda looking forward to tonight’s meeting?” Bailey asked, “I usually don’t have much to say, or I don’t have a lot I feel like saying but today I feel like sharing a little I think. At least I’m pretty sure I can share low and high points of last week without getting flustered.”

“Oh? What was your low and high?”

“My low is that I had a pop quiz in English that I don’t think I did so well in, but my high I would say was… that I got to spend all Saturday with you. And we got to hang out and paint the set for the play together.”

Bailey smiled at her shyly, playing with the ends of her skirt. Skye wasn’t sure what to say, she’s not sure if she’s ever been someone’s high point, something someone was happy to be with. Especially in Bailey’s case, where she’d had to endure cruelty from Skye’s parents first. But hearing Bailey say that, it was like her parents hadn’t been able to taint that memory.

“I think that was my favorite part of last week too,” Skye offered as she looked away. 

“I’m glad then, I feel like I got to learn a lot more about you this weekend.”

“I still don’t know that much about you though,” Skye pointed out, “and you’ve been nice enough to hear all about my problems.”

“I told you, I like when you bother me about things like that. I like being able to help, if I can.” Bailey hesitated for a moment, “But if you want, you can ask me anything you want right now and I’ll answer.”

“Are you and Rory really dating?”

Bailey gapped at her for a moment, before shaking her head wildly.

“No! Of course not! Rory’s been my friend since we were kids. It’d be weird to date them now. But… I get why you asked,” Bailey sighed, “the thing is, I know Rory has a crush on me, but I don’t feel the same way about them. It doesn’t help that Clint and Natalie are basically shipping us. I just hope Rory never really confesses, otherwise I’d have to turn them down, and I don’t want to lose them as a friend.”

Skye nodded as Bailey leaned back in her chair. After a minute Ajay walked over with a slightly defeated look on his face.

“Looks like it’s just you two tonight.”

That’s when Skye looked around to realize that no one else had entered the room after them, leaving them in a nearly empty area surrounded by sad chairs with no people in them.

“It’s not uncommon, usually when Mrs. Silva is out, no one bothers to show up. Even if Rory or I take over. But since you two are here, we might as well make the most of this meeting. Since you two are still on the new side, I thought we’d play a game to get to know each other better.”

“We’ve been locked in the theatre room together overnight, I think I knew you pretty well by now,” Bailey offered as Skye raised her eyebrow at the two.

“Yeah but you got to pick the game and Skye wasn’t there to play. So now I pick the game,” Ajay smiled as he pulled a deck of cards and sat on one of the chairs, “We’re going to play War. Winner gets to ask the losers any question they want. But Silva rules apply, so no asking about diagnosis or anything like that.”

It’s a little awkward playing without a table. After a second of thought Ajay pulled two of the spare chairs to make a table between him and Skye and Bailey. He passed out the first round of cards. Skye found herself with a four of spades while Bailey ended up with a ten of hearts and Ajay with a king of clubs.

“I guess I get to ask first. Ok, If you could see anyone in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?”

“AJR, I bet their concerts are a lot of fun.”

“Twenty-One Pilots,”

“Heh, didn’t peg you for a Twenty-One Pilots fan, Skye,” Ajay said, “I could see Bailey listening to AJR though.”

Skye shrugged, “They’re not in my normal rotation, but I like some of their albums.”

"Sometimes I blast  _ Migraine _ on the way home after rehearsal."

Ajay added as he dealt out the next round of cards, Bailey winning this round.

"If you could have any superpower what would it be?"

"Super speed."

"What? Really?" Bailey did a double take at Ajay's quick answer.

"No one would ever suspect the guy with one leg was secretly The Flash."

"True," Bailey hummed thoughtfully, "What about you, Skye?"

"Teleportation."

"Hmm, Bailey could use that one, that way she isn't late to rehearsal."

"HEY."

"Skye's never late and she's a tech," Ajay argued with a smile.

"Fine, fine, next round."

The cards are passed out again, Ajay reining victorious.

"Alright, what’s your go-to snack during rehearsal? And don’t either of you say the carrots that are supposed to be for the peasant scene.”

“Hmm, probably apples? I can eat them quickly between scenes.”

“Almond butter.”

“Just almond butter?” Bailey asked as she looked over at the redhead.

“Yup.”

“Can confirm, I’ve seen her eat it with a spoon.”

“Usually people are only that crazy about peanut butter,” Bailey pointed out as she leaned back in her chair with a teasing smile, “do you do the same with all butters?”

“No, I’m allergic to peanuts.”

“Same, but not too allergic I guess, I can’t eat it but I can be kinda around it,” Bailey thought with a quizzical look on her face, “actually, I’ve eaten it in small doses back when I was a kid and I’d get a rash on my neck and all that, but that’s it.”

“You haven’t endured the  _ fun _ of your throat closing then?”

“That doesn’t sound like fun.”

“Each to their own.”

“Skye, we’re gonna talk about how normal people have fun after this,” Bailey signed as Ajay passed out the next round of cards. The game went on for a while, cards dealt out and weirder and weirder questions being asked. After almost an hour of back and forth, Ajay passed out the last cards, Bailey proving to win the last round.

“Alright Bailey, you get the last question, make it a good one.”

“If you could go back in time and change one thing that happened in your life, what would you change?”

Skye felt a darkness to the question, Bailey’s voice sounded strange, like a faux playfulness had overtaken it. Ajay must have noticed it too, because he turned to Skye for a moment before answering.

“Nothing,” Ajay said carefully, “I think there was a time when I’d say I’d wished I hadn’t complained about my leg hurting, I’d wish I hadn’t gotten diagnosed and hadn’t been such a medical burden to my family or an emotional burden to my parents. But there are a lot of good things that came from it too. I made some really good friends, I get to spend more time with my little brother. There are a lot more things I get to do then I don’t, so I don’t think given the chance, I would change anything.”

Ajay’s answer is from someone who knows. Someone who has an idea of the pain, of the stress, of the emotional trauma of someone being told as a child that they could die. Skye always felt a little better when he spoke like that, but Bailey, she almost looked saddened by the answer. Like her own answer was so much different. Was there someone Bailey wanted to change in her life? Skye was broken from her trance by Bailey’s green eyes burning into her blue ones.

“I don’t know,” Skye said slowly, “I never really thought about it.”

“Would you still date your ex?”

“ _ Bailey _ ,” Ajay’s growl is warming.

“Yes.”

That made both Ajay and Bailey double take and look at her.

“Even knowing she’d hurt you?”

“Yeah, I would. I’d let her do it all over again.”

Because she would be lonely otherwise. Because even with the parts that hurt, there were still parts that gave Skye a reason through the difficult times. Because Lilith herself wasn’t a bad person, they were just not good together. Bailey’s eyes burned into her, stopping her from defending Lilith any farther. It was a strange look as if Bailey was trying to uncover something from Skye’s words.

It was so easy to forget that Bailey had her own demons, hidden behind sugar coated sunshine.

***

If Skye had to pick one person in the theatre club that she wouldn’t want to be stranded on a deserted island with, it would have to be Danielle. The girl set off all kinds of alarms in Skye’s head. She was sneaky, she was shady, she couldn’t go one scene without voicing her opinion on something. Skye had thought from the beginning that it made sense for Danielle to be cast as the witch, but then quickly decided to take it back as that would be an insult to witches everywhere.

Today was a heavy build day, and Danielle had complained to Trevor about how hard it was to rehearse with set pieces spilled about, the last minute touches being placed on the set that Skye had painstakingly designed. She was actually really proud of it. It was secure and strong and it looked so real. Trevor had even commented about how good it looked and how Skye had gone the extra mile to show up on the weekend to paint it.

The praise was a nice change of pace. It was nice in general to see something she drew come to live. It was almost a reality now. Something that would make a difference. 

“It looks really good,” Ajay commented as he appeared at Skye’s side, “I overheard some people from study hall that were going to come to the play because they saw how cool the set was looking. And I checked with Mr. Olsen’s husband and he said most of their theatre group were going to come to the play too. You and Bailey did a good job with the posters.”

Ajay seemed unusually happy today, he was smiling a bit more than usual, his face a little less angry and wrinkled up then normal. 

“We’ve already pre-sold fifty tickets.” 

“That’s good.”

Skye smiled a bit, happy to hear that there was already some buzz about the upcoming play.

“We have the 5K this weekend, and then the demo at the Oktoberfest, I’m sure those will help us sell out the theatre.”

Skye nodded, watching as Ajay flashed another uncharacteristic smile before nodding and heading over to round up the actors. Skye went back to work helping set up the set. The larger set pieces were finally dry and ready to nail together. The actors retreated to the theatre seats while Skye and Trevor finished putting the roof of the castle prop, getting a round of applause from the actors as they secured the final nail and moved on to working in the platforms and greenery. 

Within an hour Skye found herself staining the throne for Erin’s king when she noticed Danielle sneaking around backstage. It was during one of Bailey and Rory’s scenes so Skye assumed the other girl was scurrying around bothering some other techs about a prop or something. After a minute Skye stood up and stretched out her back before turning and starting back towards the theatre seats to see how Trevor was doing with the greenery. She caught sight of Danielle again by where Bailey and Skye had stored their backpacks.

The girl looked shocked to see her for a second before she schooled her features, pretending as if her being there was the most normal thing in the world.

Skye brushed past her to retrieve her phone charger from her backpack, purposely taking extra time as Danielle hovered in the same area.

"Can I help you?"

Skye finally broke the silence with her usual aloof tone. Danielle raised an eyebrow at her before quickly shifting into an all too bright smile.

"I was just going around seeing who needed a refill on water. You look sweaty, want something from the vending machine?"

"I'm good."

Danielle frowned for a second, dismayed by Skye's slow search for her charger and pointed indigo stare Skye was giving her.

"Okay, I'll ask someone else."

"You do that."

Skye pulled her charger from her backpack and turned to see Danielle still standing there. With a sigh, Skye motioned behind her.

"Can you move now? You're blocking the outlet."

Danielle tossed her one last look of frustration before huffing off. Skye rolled her eyes and plugged her phone into the available outlet. The taller Latina disappeared behind the stage as Rory and Bailey continued their scene together. Rehearsal was almost over, she glanced around at the pieces of set being set up, silently criticizing how long it would take her to finish a few of them before Ajay clapped for everyone’s attention.

“Alright, we can end on that, can everyone gather here for a minute.” 

Within minutes the cast and crew had surrounded their director faithfully. Ajay cleared his throat.

“As you all know we need to fill all five hundred of these seats for opening night. Rory suggested we take part in the annual 5K this weekend so we can advertise the play and do a little good while we’re at it. We’re also going to do a preview of the play during Oktoberfest later in the day. Because these two things are back to back, I think it’s best for Rory, Bailey, and Danielle to sit out of the run so they don’t get too tired before the preview.”

“Don’t those teams raise money for cancer treatment though,” Clint spoke up, “If less of us run, won’t less money be raised?”

“I have some companies sponsoring us already, so we’ll raise the most money if we all participate,” Rory added. 

“If Rory, Bailey, and Danielle want to participate, they should walk it, so they don’t get winded before the preview. Mr. Olsen gave us the time we were allotted for the preview. The run should end around three and our preview is at four forty-five. You three need to be costumed and read to go by then.”

“Aye-aye.”

“Skye, can we get some sound effects recorded and transferred over to the venue?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Sydney will transfer costumes, and Trevor has a backdrop we’re going to use in place of the set. We need to wow them with our acting skills,” Ajay nodded to himself as he said it, thinking for another moment before adding, “Saturday is busy, we can fill a big portion of this theatre easily, we’re going to need that if we want to raise money. We’ll rehearse the scene we’ll do for the promo on Thursday.”

With a clap of his hands, the theatre club was dismissed. Skye turned back to her backpack when she felt Ajay tap her on the arm.

“Hey Skye, I have a favor to ask.”

“Okay,”

“Can you do another poster for the play? The first one really caught the attention of people, but I think we also need one with a human touch. Do you think you can do one with some of the main cast?”

“Draw it?” Skye asked with her eyebrows raised, “I can, but it can take some time. I might not have it ready for the weekend.”

“That’s fine, thank you,” Ajay smiled before giving her a wave and grabbed his bag, heading for the side exit of the auditorium. 

“Do you want a ride Skye?” Rory asked as her and Bailey grabbed their bags. Skye shook her head.

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“Hurry home then, it’s going to be dark soon,” Bailey called over her shoulder as the two left, followed by several of the other actors, the techs finishing the last minute things before heading to grab their bags and head out.

***

Skye’s phone buzzed as she settled down to get a rough sketch of an idea for the poster. She looked over to see Bailey’s name flash on the screen. She pressed her thumb to the sensor to unlock the device to see a goofy picture of Frosty, the large dog sleeping with his legs un in the air. It was followed with a text from Bailey.

Bailey:  _ Are you home? _

Skye:  _ Yeah, I’m home. What’s with the dog picture? _

Bailey:  _ Everyone loves dog pix :))))) _

Bailey:  _ And I kinda had a favor to ask? You can say no. _

Skye:  _ What’s up? _

Bailey:  _ I’m having a hard time with the last math assignment… Can you help me with it tomorrow? Frosty misses you. _

Skye:  _ Well if it’s for Frosty, want to meet after school? _

Bailey:  _ You're awesome!  _

Skye smiled as she put her phone away and turned back to the page. She closed her eyes for a minute before doing a rough sketch of the composition she wanted, trying to remember Bailey’s features in greater detail as she sketched.


	5. Rose Scented Smoke

Bailey wasn’t as hopeless at math as Ajay was. She wasn’t nearly as loud or angry, usually Skye could tell she was stuck by how her brows furrowed. Or she’ll tap her pencil against the page for a moment before giving in and looking up at Skye with puppy dog eyes. Bailey was in the college prep class, so it was a level of math below what Skye was studying now, making it a little easier to teach than Ajay's math.. They were seated at the kitchen table, Frosty sleeping soundly at their feet as they worked.

Skye felt like she was getting too used to being there. But there was something nice about having Bailey to herself, just the two of them hanging out in calm quiet. Bailey pencil moved across her notebook, the only sound in the house aside from Frosty’s snoring. Bailey was a little bit quieter then she normally is, though Skye passed it off as her just focusing on her work since she hadn’t looked up much from the books other than looking up to ask for help with specific things.

“Ajay said Jordan and his friends were going to help pass out posters,” Bailey offered as she finished one of the problems she was struggling with, “we’re almost at seventy five tickets sold now.”

“That’s good, Jordan looks like the kind of person who can get people interested in a play.”

“Yeah,” Bailey looked back down, “I bet he would have done really well as Prince Adam, better then I would do as Princess Abigail.”

“I don’t know about that,” Skye said softly as she looked over the problem Bailey just finished, “I can’t really see anyone else but you as the part.”

Bailey smiled softly, “I hope the preview this weekend goes well. I’m really nervous about performing in front of all those people. Especially the community theatre. They’re all basically professional actors! And we’ll have everyone that’s at the fair that day watching. That could be so many people.”

“Don’t think about them,” Skye encouraged hesitantly, “just focus on the scene, like if we were at rehearsal and it’s just us and Ajay around.”

“...You’re right, I’ll pretend we’re rehearsing and then it won’t seem as bad,” Bailey closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath, “just focus on Rory and the scene.”

“Yeah… Focus on Rory. You’ll be fine.”

Skye looked back at Bailey’s notebook, she felt a bit off.. Rory wasn’t a bad person, so why did it, even in the smallest way, bother her a little to hear Bailey talk about them like that? 

“You almost have it,” Skye motioned to the paper, “But instead of this, you need to do this.”

Bailey leaned closer to peer over Skye’s shoulder as Skye corrected the problem, soft blonde hair brushing Skye’s arm as Bailey moved impossibly closer. 

“Ok, let me try one more time.”

Bailey’s face set in determination as Skye pointed to another practice problem in the book. The blonde started writing frantically, tongue poking out between her teeth as she thought. Skye rested her chin on her hand as she turned to her own book. She didn’t get far before her mind wandered. Bailey’s house felt the same like it did last time, warm yet empty. Bailey's parents were at the Golden Griddle again. Meaning it was just Bailey, Frosty, and Skye with the house to themselves.

Skye wondered how often Bailey was here alone. Wondered how many times had Bailey been by herself at the kitchen table working on homework or running lines. Watching TV by herself or waiting up until her parents were done with their shifts. It was a thought that drove Skye a little crazy to think about. She couldn’t explain why, but the idea of Bailey alone, with her own demons to keep her company, felt wrong. Skye was familiar with the feeling and she didn’t want that for Bailey.

“I did it!”

Bailey announced as she pushed her notebook back over to Skye breaking her thoughts as she looked over to the enthusiastic blonde for a moment before looking down at the paper. Bailey grinned and hopped a bit in her spot as Skye looked over her work.

“Yeah, Dork, you got it right.”

“HA! Take that Math!”

Bailey put her fist into the air and grinned as Frosty woke up at the noise and started bouncing around her. Skye shook her head, smiling at the excited blonde as she continued her dance of victory around the kitchen with Frosty at her heels.

“I think you’re celebrating a little early,” Skye said as Bailey turned back to her, “don’t you have a test coming up.”

“Hush, I’m enjoying my victory,” Bailey skipped back over to the table, sticking her tongue out at Skye, “it’s getting late… So um...”

Skye raised her eyebrow as Bailey stuttered for a moment.

“Do you want to walk over to the Griddle with me? Get some food before you have to go home?”

In the short time Skye has known Bailey there was one thing very clear. She lacked the ability to say no to her. Especially not when she flashed Skye that adorable shy little smile when she asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Great! My mom was going to take her break to eat with us, she’s kinda been asking more about you since she found you on our couch that night.”

Skye didn’t know why that made her more nervous. Bailey fed the dog before the two slipped on their shoes and started out the door. The air was getting chillier as the later October weather set in. A few of the houses on Bailey’s street had Halloween decorations up. The house next door, The Silva household, was sporting festive Day of the Dead decorations. 

The Golden Griddle was a bit of a lengthy walk, but listening to Bailey hum the soundtrack of  _ Wicked _ while they walked made it seem not as long.

“You must really like musicals.”

“Yeah, they’re fun. I hear the Spring production is usually a musical,” Bailey smiled, “Maybe we’ll get to do  _ Grease _ .”

“Ajay already said no to  _ Grease _ when Rory asked.”

“Maybe we’ll get to do something newer.  _ Jane Eyre _ would be fun. Or something romantic like  _ Love Never Dies _ . Or something like  _ Matilda _ ,”

“ _ Matilda _ isn’t a musical though,” 

“A musical version came out a few years ago,” Bailey explained with a smile, “It was really good.”

“Oh, I’ve never seen it, I read the book though.”

“We should watch it together sometime,” Bailey hummed, “what kind of plays do you like then?”

“I think my tastes are better suited for Fall productions. I won’t even tell you how many times I searched  _ Nevermore _ on YouTube.”

“I haven’t seen that one,” Bailey offered, “but I heard it’s good. Edgar Allen Poe does seem like something in your wheelhouse.”

“Huh, Poetry was never really my thing. My ex- sorry,” Skye stopped herself mid-story, “It’s… kinda hard retelling stories when you have to hear me say ‘my ex’ all the time. She was the only good friend I had for a while.”

“It’s okay,” Bailey assured, “you bring her up a lot.”

“Yeah… sorry.”

“It’s not really something you have to apologize for.”

“It’s kind of frustrating, I really don’t like thinking about her,” Skye explained as they stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the light on the other side to change, “but she’s been my friend for too long. It’s hard to just forget about her.”

“Wouldn’t that be easier though? If she didn’t exist, then you wouldn’t be hurting over her.” 

Skye thought for a minute at Bailey’s quiet voice.

“No, because if I forgot about her all together, then I really would have been all alone. At least with her there everything else hurt a little less.”

The light turned green, but neither one of them moved to cross the street right away. After a second Skye felt Bailey’s warm hand encircle around her own. Bailey looked over at her with a little smile.

“Come on, dinner’s on me. Don’t give me that look I wasn’t gonna let you pay anyway,” Bailey giggled as they walked across the street, “I couldn’t be like that. I don’t think I could face memories of someone I lost. I’d probably just… pretend they never existed.”

“I don’t think that works,” Skye replied with a sigh, “I think it only makes it more lonely. And then all your memories with that person would disappear too.”

“... You’re right.”

Skye’s not sure what she’s right about. They fall into silence again until they reach the Golden Griddle. It’s not very crowded, probably typical for the middle of the week. Bailey guides Skye over to a booth in the corner. The familiar smells of food and the soft noises coming off the jukebox were a warm welcome as Mrs. Jackson quickly made her way over, putting old-fashioned milkshake glasses in front of them filled with an orange milkshake like substance.

“Ambushing us already?” Bailey asked as she eyed the drink.

“Your father is way too happy about how his pumpkin spice milkshake came out. He’s practically dancing around the kitchen. If you hate it the next drink is on me. Although Skye seems to like it.”

Bailey’s jaw dropped as she looked over at Skye, who hadn’t even hesitated in taking a sip.

“My mom is going to recruit you all the time now, you didn’t even  _ question _ what was in front of you.”

“I don’t think your mom would poison me,” Skye mused, chewing on her straw for a moment, “she needs to get to know me before she can decide if she wants to poison me.”

Mrs. Jackson laughed good naturedly, the sound filled the diner with life in a way. She had a similar laugh to Bailey’s.

“It’s really good by the way,” Skye added when she remembered she didn’t say so before.

“You’re keeping this one,” Mrs. Jackson said to Bailey as she gestured to Skye, “I like her.”

“I have to keep her, she’s the best math tutor I know.”

Bailey grinned as she looked away slightly, cheeks faintly turning pink for a moment as her mom chuckled and headed to the kitchen for a few minutes before reappearing with plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. The older woman settled in the booth next to Bailey as she passed out plates.

“Help yourselves, I’ve been working on a few more pancake recipes so let me know what you think.”

“Sorry you’ve been duped into being a guinea pig,”

“No, it’s fine,” Skye insisted, “food is good.”

Especially when it was pancakes. Skye wasn’t going to complain about pancakes. Mrs. Jackson filled their plates with different kinds of pancakes, explaining each one from classic blueberry, to strawberry, to pumpkin spice with pecans, to cinnamon and apple, and everything in between. As soon as they were all settled with their first course of pancakes, Mrs. Jackson turned her attention to Skye.

“Bailey says you two are in theatre together, are you in the play as well?”

“No, I’m a tech, I, uh, work on the set and lights. Stuff like that. I also designed the set.” Skye explained as she swallowed a mouthful of maple bacon pancakes.

“How interesting, I can’t wait to see the set. Bailey’s been saying how nice everything looks. I can’t wait to see it all come together on opening night,” Mrs. Jackson was bubbling with excitement, a sparkling coming to her eyes as she spoke, “we have a countdown set up and everything!”

“ _ Mom,  _ please don’t show her the countdown-”

“It’s over there,” Mrs. Jackson gestured to a little easel set up under the special’s board, in flowy script it said “ _The Enchanted Kingdom Opening Night_ ” followed by the number of days, Mrs. Jackson hopped up to retrieve it, bringing it over to the table, “We’ve had customers asking us what _The Enchanted Kingdom_ is and we get to tell them all about the amazing cause Berry is supporting as well as our pretty cool daughter who’s starring in it.”

Bailey turned bright red, burying her face in her arms as her mother spoke.

“I like the castle,” Skye offered as Mrs. Jackson’s smile grew impossibly bigger.

“My husband drew that, he does all the chalkboard art in this diner and the special’s board and pomo board outside.”

“He’s best known for his tiger with the top hat for the Berry High Jalapeno-Bacon Bites,” Bailey offered from her seat, only slightly removing her face from its hiding place.

As the conversation drew on, Skye found herself smiling more and more at the Jackson family’s goofy dynamic. Mrs. Jackson was telling a story about when Bailey was a kid and had to sing a solo piece for an elementary school play and about how nervous she was to sing in front of so many people. Bailey’s ears and face were bright red before the end of the story.

_ “Mom” _

“Sorry honey, I guess I got a little carried away. You know how excited I am to see you enjoying theatre again. It really made you happy and I’m so proud of you for challenging yourself to get back into it.”

Bailey returned her face to its hiding spot in her arms, muttering something intangible as the diner bell above the door chimed, a familiar whirlwind of energy bouncing into the dining area.

"Hi Jackson family," Rory announced loudly as they flashed a grin towards their table. Rory walked up, looking a bit more on the tired side then Skye was used to seeing them.

"Here for your order dear? It should be just about done."

Mrs. Jackson stood and headed over to the kitchen to check on the order. Rory leaned against the chair, glancing over the spread on the table.

"I'm sensing a new menu item?"

Bailey groaned in response and Rory chuckled at her.

"How's your mom? Is she still sick?" Bailey asked as she pulled her head from her arms. Rory's expression saddened for a moment before they pulled their grin back onto their face.

"She's resting, I wanted to make her some soup but I forgot I have no idea how to make soup so here I am."

"Soup's not that hard, I could teach you how to make it."

"Really?" Rory's smile got wider, "I might take you up on that. Not everyday you get a private cooking lesson with Bailey Jackson."

Bailey blushed and Skye couldn’t help feeling like she was a third wheel. As transparent and forgettable as a wisp of smoke as Rory drew Bailey’s attention to them. 

“It’s not like I’m a professional chef,” Bailey tried to argue.

“I mean, you’re pretty close. You’re like the Princess of the Golden Griddle.”

“My kingdom consists of giddles filled with pancakes and burgers. Beware my all powerful jukebox. Trespassers will be forced to listen to old songs on repeat for hours.”

Rory chuckled as Mrs. Jackson brought over the take-out bag of food, smiling as she saw the two goof around.

“You sure you don’t want to stay a few minutes? I was just retelling the story of Bailey’s first musical.”

“I’d love to, but I really should get this back home,” Rory smiled and turned to Bailey, “See you at rehearsal tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,”

“Later Skye,” Rory tossed over their shoulder as they turned to leave, “bye Mrs. Jackson.”

Bailey waved as Rory left the diner and headed back down the street. Mrs. Jackson turned back to the two.

“How were the pancakes? Any stand outs?”

“So full,” Bailey sighed, “sinking further into my pancake coma.”

“If you had to choose a way to go, that’s not that bad.” Skye said with a satisfied hum.

Bailey frowned and took a breath, “I think I liked the apple cinnamon ones the best.”

Mrs. Jackson nodded before turning to Skye.

“The apple cinnamon is really good,”

“Better than the honey almond,” Bailey flashed a teasing smile, “you stole all the roasted almond topping from those.”

“Yes, and added it to the apple cinnamon.”

“I’m starting to think you have an addiction,” Bailey chuckled, shaking her head, “but I won’t tease you about it since you agree with me.”

“Hmm, I can change my mind…”

“Nope! Denied!”

Mrs. Jackson laughed as she gathered the plates. 

“Do you need help, Mom?”

“It’s fine dear, I’ve got it.”

Mrs. Jackson smiled warmly as she cleared the table.

“It was lovely getting the chance to chat with you Skye. I do hope we get a chance to do this again.”

“Yeah, thank you for having me.”

Mrs. Jackson carried the dishes back to the kitchen, leaving Bailey and Skye alone.

“I should get going,” Skye shifted awkwardly, “curfew.”

“I’ll walk you home.”

“You don’t have to.”

Bailey was already standing, turning to smile at Skye.

“I want to.”

The air was colder than it was a few hours before. Bailey shivered as the wind pushed back her blonde hair. She curled up more in her adorable Halloween themed cardigan as they walked.

"It got so cold," Bailey’s voice echoed in wonder, "do you think we'll get snow before opening night."

"I don't know if it's that cold yet."

"Good, I don't like the snow."

Skye tilted her head at the girl, watching her eyes take on a darkness as she stared at the sky.

"Really?"

"It's cold and icy," Bailey said, "and people always get hurt."

"I guess that's true. I kinda like sledding though."

Bailey flashed Skye a look as if Skye had said she liked torturing small dogs or sacrificing babies. The horrified look caused Skye to look away from the vibrant green gaze.

"What if you crashed or something?"

"I-I mean," Skye stammered, feeling Bailey's gaze, "I guess it would hurt, but it would be on snow."

"You don't know that!"

Why was Bailey yelling at her now? Skye didn't think she said anything that strange, but for some reason the blonde was near hysterical.

"S-sorry," Skye flinched away a bit, "this is far enough, I can walk the rest of the way."

Bailey seemed to realize her tone too late. Her face dropped into a more apologetic expression a moment before Skye turned to cross the street. As the light turned green, Bailey stayed behind, fidgeting for a second as if unsure whether or not to follow before slumping in her spot, watching Skye disappear into the sparse crowd. 

***

Skye couldn’t sleep that night, the next morning was near hell when she had to get herself together for school. Her red hair was a bit messier then normal, matched only by the oversized grey sweater and black skinny jeans. The draining of color seemed appropriate for how she felt that day. She almost forgot Bailey’s stop was right after hers until the bus pulled up and the lone blonde stepped onto the bus.

She hesitated for a second before settling down quietly next to Skye. Bailey’s back was stiff and straight as if she stayed still Skye wouldn’t notice her. Skye trained her blue eyes out the window as the tension solidified between them. It felt like the bus was moving at a snail’s pace, the uncomfortable silence stretched on while the world moved around them. A bunch of jocks were roudier today then normal, but even they were more like a whisper as the only thing Skye could focus on was the loud silence between her and Bailey.

When the bus finally pulled up to the school, Skye felt herself exhale a breath she wasn’t sure how long she had been holding. As she shifted she noticed Bailey’s hand hovering between them, almost as if the girl wasn’t sure if she wanted to get Skye’s attention. When Skye turned to her Bailey retracted her hand, looking away before grabbing her things and hurrying off the bus.

***

Everything was awkward, lunch was weird having Bailey not sit next to her, but then rehearsal was a new breed. Skye kept zoning out and Bailey kept messing up her lines. Ajay looked ready to either pull his hair out. 

“Take ten everyone,” Ajay called exhaustedly from his seat. Skye had been fiddling with the sound board, unable to make her brain think straight long enough to figure out why Danielle’s spooky exit sound wasn’t playing.

The soundboard was old, but Skye had never had an issue with her before. Her and Trevor took her apart and put her back together during cleaning so it wasn’t like dust or loose pieces could be to blame. If only she could-

“Ow!” Skye yelped as she pulled her hand back from one of the exposed metal pieces. The thin cut on her finger quickly produced dark red blood as she cursed under her breath.

Ok, now she’s just being a bitch. All Skye wanted was a nice spooky sound and this soundboard wasn’t having it today.

“Let me see,” Erin’s soft voice broke through her thoughts as the taller girl sat in the seat next to Skye, pulling on her wrist so she could get a better look at the injury, “Trevor should have closed that so it wasn’t sticking out.”

Erin popped open the first-aid kit and grabbed one of the disinfecting wipes, opening it and pressing it against the cut. The sting of alcohol burning into the wound.

“Sorry, this will hurt for a sec, bear with me,” Erin smiled apologetically, within a few minutes she has the small cut bandaged, “there you go! Try to be careful, that back eye of yours is almost healed, we don’t want any more injuries to worry about.”

Skye doesn’t say anything and Erin’s expression dropped for a second before a more sincere smile came to her face.

“Not our best day, huh, I think Ajay’s going to need a spa day after this.”

“Our?” Skye grumbled as she turned back to the board.

“You and Bailey are really off today, it’s not like the two of you. Did something happen?”

Skye chanced a look on stage, Bailey was seated on the end, looking miserable in her red dress, to the point of almost tears. Skye hated seeing her like this. She’s sure the girl hasn’t smiled all day.

“Kind of.”

“Is there something I can help with? I hate seeing you two so out of sorts,” Erin’s voice came off as motherly as she placed a hand on Skye’s arm, “I can talk to Ajay about letting us wrap early. You look like you could use a break, and I’m sure Bailey could use one too.”

Before Skye could answer Natalie and Clint skipped onto the stage, loud as they usually were.

“Rory, look! You got another letter.”

Rory turned from their place trying to placate a very stressed Ajay, a smile forming it’s way on their lips. Erin heaved a sigh.

“Another secret admirer letter?” Erin called over, “This is getting out of hand.”

Skye recalled Natalie and Clint gossiping about it before. Letters that showed up on set or in Rory’s locker. Honestly the older student seemed a little tired of it, but not in a nasty way. Skye found Rory a bit difficult to understand sometimes. The coed had a similar popularity to what Brian had, except Rory was genuinely nice. But even nice had to be getting tired of relentless letters sent, each one smelling like a different perfume with different handwritings.

Some of them were cute, at least the ones Rory decided to share. Most of them were out of admiration, or proclamations of people wishing that Rory was doing well because they looked tired or they wanted to make sure Rory wasn’t getting too stressed out. Others were more harsh declarations of love. Those were the ones where Rory’s face took on an uncomfortable look. It was clear they were more uncomfortable with ones that shared strong love or desire for them. 

“It’s not Rory’s fault they're so popular.” Natalie argued as Rory took the letter. For a second they looked at the envelope before walking over to toss it in the near-by trash.

“You’re not even going to read it?” Bailey asked from the stage, causing Rory to stop and look over.

“I mean, it’s a secret admirer letter, I get these all the time.”

“But still, someone took time to write it for you, you should at least read it,” Bailey suggested as she stood up and smoothed out her dress, “If someone wrote me a secret admirer letter I’d read it.”

“I don’t know, I kinda agree with Rory, if they don’t come up to you personally what’s the point,” Danielle spoke up from behind the curtain, “seems cowardly.”

“I think it’s romantic!” Bailey defended, “Whenever Rory’s read them they’ve always been so positive and sweet, they just want to make Rory smile and I think it’s worth reading.”

“OK, I won’t trash it, but only because you asked. I think I’ll save it for when I need a pick-me-up” Rory smiled as they pocketed the letter. Danielle rolled her eyes and went back to whatever curse she was brewing backstage. 

The slight lift in mood didn’t last long, after a few minutes Ajay called that rehearsal was over for the day. The director looked stressed as he looked down at his phone, tying faster than Skye had ever seen him type on a phone. Skye felt a ping of guilt before walking up, catching Ajay’s attention as she drew closer. Before she could say anything Ajay shook his head.

“It’s okay,” Ajay offered as he shoved his phone in his pocket, “I’d much rather everyone work out their bad days now before opening night.”

“Are you sure? You looked pretty upset before.”

“Yeah well,” Ajay rubbed the back of his head, “I’m working on it. While I have you though, do you want to let me in on what’s going on? It’s not like you or Bailey to be this off. Did something happen?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Maybe I can help uncomplicate it.”

“I’m not even sure what happened.” Skye sighed, “we were talking and all of a sudden she got really angry… I don’t know what I said to upset her.”

Ajay nodded, his expression softening a little.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Winter. That’s it. And now she won’t talk to me at all.”

“That is strange,” Ajay agreed with a nod, “I’m not too familiar with Bailey’s story though, so I’m not sure what about that would have set her off. Maybe you should try talking to Rory? Rory knows Bailey better than I do. If it’s something personal maybe Rory can shine a light on it.”

Skye shifted a little uncomfortably. She hasn’t really talked to Rory one-on-one and she wasn’t sure she wanted their first conversation to be about Bailey.

“Or maybe Erin can help? She’s usually pretty good at giving advice, even if she doesn’t know Bailey personally she usually has a more… gentle touch then I do.” Ajay offered a smile, “The best I can do is tell you to talk to her.”

“Even if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Ajay explained softly, “she kept looking over at you and she looked concerned when you yelled. So maybe she just feels bad about yelling and doesn’t want to come up to you.”

Skye thought for a moment, remembering Bailey trying to reach out to her on the bus before nodding.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Come on, Erin was giving me a ride home, she won’t mind one more.”

Ajay led Skye through the hall and out towards the side student parking lot. Erin was leaning against her car with her phone out. She looked up when the side door closed.

“I was wondering what was taking you so long,” Erin glanced over at Skye and smiled, “hey Skye, coming for a ride with us?”

The load up into Erin’s well loved Nissan Sentra before Erin started out the parking lot.

“Skye needs some advice,” Ajay started as he glanced over to the girl in the back, “and you know my track record with people.”

“It’s about Bailey huh?” Erin asked as she glanced at Skye’s reflection in the rearview mirror, “I was asking about that at rehearsal. Before the thing with Rory’s secret admirer letter.”

“I thought you could pass on some words of wisdom.”

“Well, I think you should talk to her. It’s clear it’s bothering Bailey too and I think if you two clear the air it would be better for both of you.”

“Ajay said the same thing.”

“And he says he’s bad with people,” Erin rolled her eyes, “Ajay’s right. Besides, you two clicked so well since you came here. It’s clear Bailey cares a lot about you.”

Skye felt a little warmer at the words. Something about the confirmation of Bailey caring about her made her feel lighter, happier. 

“And I think you care about her too, otherwise you both wouldn’t be hurting this much.”

Skye thought for a moment. She did care about Bailey. Bailey was probably the best friend Skye’s ever had. She was kind, and funny, and honest, and such a dork. She had a nice smile and she gave warm hugs and was far more patient than anyone else Skye has known. Skye wanted to see her happy. 

“Bailey’s a really good friend.” 

Erin flashed her a knowing smile.

“You two have had today to cool off after whatever happened, tomorrow you can talk it out.”

“And then we have the walk over the weekend,” Ajay added.

Skye let out a sigh as she leaned back in Erin’s car, watching the town fly by the window. She cared about Bailey, and she wanted to make this right with her.

***

Bailey wasn’t on the bus the next morning, but Skye had caught sight of her blonde hair on her way to the cafeteria before lunch. Skye cut through the small crowd to catch up to the other girl before she could turn the corner.

“Bailey,” Skye called as the girl turned to her, her saddened green eyes caused Skye to hesitate. She wasn’t used to seeing such raw sorrow i n the other girl’s eyes, “can we talk?”

“I-” Bailey stammered a bit before looking down, “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my fault.”

“Bailey-”

“I’m sorry, Skye, I’m just... dealing with some things,” Bailey cut Skye off, “I wish it was easier to tell you. It’s not fair that you’ve been honest with me and I… I haven’t told you anything about-”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I do.”

Bailey ran a hand through her hair.

“Can we go somewhere more quiet to talk?”

Skye nodded, noticing how they were slowly attracting the attention of more students as they headed towards the cafeteria. Skye led them out the side door, the two girls settled on the cement stairs. Bailey leaned close until her arm was resting against Skye’s.

“I don’t even know how to tell you,” Bailey confessed after a few silent minutes, “I’ve never had to tell anyone. Back in middle school it was pretty much announced to the whole school, so everyone knew from day one. No one talked to me. And I think a lot of people hated me for it. I couldn’t blame them… After learning something like that it’s normal for people to leave. So I just… never told anyone so they’d never leave.”

Bailey took a deep breath, her hand fidgeting in front of her.

“But, I don’t want it to get to the point where I’m hurting my friends because I can’t get myself together,” Bailey’s hands twisted in front of her, “I don’t want to lose you or any of our friends if they found out about what I… About what I did.”

“Bailey, you’re not going to lose me.”

“Skye, I… you can’t promise that.”

“Hey,” Skye nudged the other girl with her shoulder, “you said you wouldn’t leave me, so I’m not going to leave you either. No matter what. I don’t care what it is. I don’t care if you never tell me what it is. I’m not going anywhere.”

Bailey looked at Skye with glassy green eyes. She took a deep breath as if she couldn’t decide if she wanted to rip the band-aid off or peel it off slowly. Skye doesn’t like this look on Bailey, it was so sad and filled with raw negative emotion. So unlike the bright and sunny Bailey that Skye was used to seeing. Bailey took a few breaths.   
“I want to be able to tell you,” Bailey choked on her words, as if they were painful to say, “but…”

“I can wait. Until you’re ready, I’m right here.”

Tears filled green eyes for a moment before Bailey fell forward, her weight crashed into Skye’s arms as she cried against her shoulder. Whatever the girl was carrying, it was heavy. Heavy enough to crush the sunshine and rainbows that girl carried in her eyes. Skye held her tightly, wanting more than anything to take the pain away. To find the cause and kill it with fire so it would no longer harm her.

The warning bell rang as Bailey’s breathing calmed down, her face pressed into Skye’s shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. After a few seconds Bailey muttered something intangible into the soft fabric of Skye’s sweater.

“What was that?”

Bailey lifted her head a bit.

“Sorry I made you miss lunch.”

“It’s fine, you can owe me one.”

Bailey smiled weakly at the comment. She leaned back a little more, letting her hands linger on Skye’s shoulders as she pulled away. Her eyes are red-rimmed from crying, her makeup smeared and face flushed. Despite all that she still looked lovely. Skye couldn’t help but stare in silence as the girl gathered the remains of her thoughts, taking a few breaths before flashing Skye a tired smile.

“Thanks for letting me cry on you. We should probably get to class.”

Bailey hesitated before standing, Skye followed suit as the two walked back into the school amongst the mob of students hurrying to get to their next classes. Bailey flashed Skye a final smile before headed towards the girl’s bathroom to touch up her makeup. Skye watched her go with more questions than answers. Despite the smile, it was clear Bailey was still hurting. Skye wasn’t sure how to ease the other girl’s pain.

It was annoying how useless she felt. Skye wasn’t used to having to comfort anyone, but she wanted to be able to. For Bailey. But what was she supposed to do? She wasn’t good at the hugging or cooking thing like Bailey was. She wasn’t as good with words like Erin or Ajay. She did have the upbeat personality and optimism of Rory either…

Skye spent most of her next class brainstorming, replaying every comforting thing Bailey had done for her in some socially awkward attempt at figuring out what she should do to make Bailey happy. Even if Skye didn’t know the skeletons in Bailey’s closet there was no reason why she shouldn’t be able to at least get a genuine smile out of the other girl.

“What’s on your mind?” Erin’s voice broke Skye out of her train of thought as she leaned against the wall by Skye’s locker, “You look like you’re thinking really hard about something.”

Skye hesitated for a moment as Erin tilted her head.

“Did you get to talk to Bailey?”

“Yeah,” Skye sighed, “we talked but she was still kinda sad afterwards.”

Erin nodded as the two started walking down the hall together. 

“You care about her.”

“You’ve said that before?” Skye turned to the taller girl, raising her eyebrow at Erin’s knowing look.

“It’s just a vibe I get,” Erin said in a little sing-song voice, “I’m just saying, you two really hit it off.”

Skye hummed, trying not to think too much on Erin’s comment. She almost asked what Erin meant before she caught sight of Rory and Bailey walking down the hall together, Bailey’s trademark smile back in place as if it never left. Rory leaned down to say something to her, causing Bailey to laugh.

Skye doesn’t know why the exchange bothered her a little. But she felt a little flame of something sit in her chest as she bit Erin a half-hearted good-bye and headed to her next class. 

***

The stress sat against Skye’s shoulders, she hadn’t been able to get the ghost of Bailey’s smile out of her head since school. She was almost thankful Ajay insisted on signing up the Theatre Department for the earlier start time during the 5K, this way at least Skye looking tired wouldn’t draw too much attention. She was happy to get out of the house early, she slipped out the front door before her father woke up for his first cup of coffee.

Skye was a bit earlier than need be, the fair grounds were still pretty empty where the run started. Ajay was finishing the check in for the entire theatre crew at the little stand while Erin texted Rory, who was in charge of picking up the T-shirts. After checking in Ajay walked over to her with a yawn.

“Wanna grab a coffee? Looks like we’ll be waiting a few more minutes for Rory.”

“Yeah, sure.”

It was weird seeing Ajay in what Skye assumed was his own take on athletic wear. Ajay wore black Gymshark sport shorts and matching black Gymshark muscle shirt showing off the complete lack thereof. Ajay himself looked a little uncomfortable in such sporty attire while Skye was a little more familiar with running gear. She tugged on the sleeves of her long sleeve athletic shirt as she and Ajay waited in the short line. The older woman at the counter smiled at them as they stepped up to order. Ajay motioned for her to go first.

“Medium pumpkin spice latte,”

“Large salted caramel mocha frappuccino, double blended, extra whipped cream.”

“Is-is that even coffee?” Skye asked as she stared at the half-asleep boy in confusion. Ajay only held up a hand.

“And a large black, sugar no cream,” the woman nodded and turned to make their order, “for Erin. And don’t be making fun of my coffee order Miss. Pumpkin Spice.”

“Sorry! I just pictured you as a black coffee kind of guy.” Skye snickered before laughing at the horrified face Ajay flashed her.

“Coffee is a canvas, the flavor adds depth.” Ajay grumbled as he thanked the woman as she brought over the black coffee and Ajay’s abomination. The woman smiled as she placed Skye’s drink on the counter.

“You two enjoy yourselves. Always nice to see young couples enjoying the fair.”

Skye stuttered as she grabbed her drink, Ajay suddenly stood up straighter than before.

“We’re not a couple!”

The two stalked away from the booth. Ajay led them over to an empty table before firing off a text to Erin to let her know they had coffee waiting for her. He turned back to his own cup, sipping on the long-named beverage that Skye’s unsure if it could really be considered coffee.

“We’re scheduled to perform our preview at four, that should give us plenty of time to finish the 5K with our 11 am start time.”

Skye nodded as Ajay looked at his phone, his brows coming together as he tapped the screen a few times.

“Rory should be here with the shirts soon, I hope the printer got them right,” Ajay’s real foot bounced as he looked towards the entrance, “I completely forgot to double check the proof before Rory gave the okay to their dad’s friend to print them.”

“I’m sure they’ll look okay,” Skye offered as she sipped on her Fall-themed coffee. Ajay typed at his phone for a few more minutes, his brows furrowed as he typed, like an old man trying to figure out new aged technology. 

“Did you get to talk to Bailey?” 

“A little bit,” Skye offered quietly as Ajay pocketed his phone and turned to face her, “It helped a little, I think.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah,” Skye hummed absent mindedly, “I wish I could help her more though.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was really upset, but she couldn’t tell me why.”

“I don’t think you should worry about that so much,” Ajay offered as Skye looked up at him, “you and Bailey just started with the support group, it makes sense that you two are feeling some stress to tell us what you're dealing with. And it makes sense that you’d want to tell each other since you’re close. But if you ask me, I’d be a little worried about the two of you. You two have each other’s backs, which is great, but I want to see you two focus on yourselves as well. Those workbooks Mrs. Silva assigned you two at the beginning weren’t just for show.”

“Right, I forgot about those.”

“The entire point of them was for you to reflect on what your life was like now and how you wanted it to improve. I know it’s tempting to focus on someone else, but you have to promise me you’ll work on you too.” 

“I’m not sure I know how to do that.” Skye admitted as she looked back down at her drink.

“Maybe I can help, that’s what I’m here for,” Ajay offered with a smile, “when I started in the support group, it was easy for me to spend my time helping someone else rather than focusing on myself. I needed a lot of reminders that I had to work on me. The one thing that helped me was setting goals. Once I had everything written out it was easier to focus on what I wanted to do.”

Skye nodded, thought she wasn’t sure what kind of goals to set for herself. Most of the things she wanted in life were things that felt so unattainable. Her parents love her, her brother to stop bullying her, the guilt of someone dying for her not being there anymore. It was strange how her mind only seemed to focus on the larger things in life.

Then she remembered going to the fair with Bailey, petting sheep and playing games. Hanging up posters while people-watching and just being normal. A normal she never got to experience growing up in a hospital and as her parents personal doll to dress up and show off. She absent-mindedly reached for the dinosaur keychain that guarded her house key and theatre key.

Skye was broken out of her thoughts by loud cheering as Rory marched over with a large box filled with T-shirts and slammed it on the table proudly for Ajay to see.

“Careful! We have coffee on this table,” Ajay barked as Rory pulled out a few shirts from the box.

“Ajay gets a large, Skye a small,” Rory tossed them each a shirt, ignoring Ajay’s last remark, “look at how nice they came out? Pretty cool huh?”

The shirts were short-sleeve, black with the Berry High School logo on the front and the poster design of the castle with “The Magic Kingdom” written over it and the date of opening night underneath. Ajay regarded the shirt design for a few moments before nodding.

“Not bad.”

Rory beamed at the comment as Clint and Natalie bounced up, Rory dug through the box to get their sizes and handed them to the two fan club members. Skye finished the rest of her coffee as she watched the duo swoon over Rory with their too wide smiles and very loudly spoken complements. 

After a second Skye stood up and pulled the T-shirt over her head and over the long sleeve shirt she already had on. The shirt smelled freshly washed. The light clean fragrance wafted off it as Rory stepped back closer to the box to grab another shirt.

“My mom wanted to make sure they were all washed and ready, she hates when shirts have that freshly printed vinegar smell.”

“I suppose it was nice that she thought of all the details.”

“You suppose?” Rory asked at Ajay’s aloof voice, “admit it, it was almost as good as your level of obsessive.”

“Did you call me obsessive?”

Skye shook her head at the two bickering, grabbing her empty cup and Ajay’s to toss as the rest of the theatre club gathered around the table. As she walked over to the trash can she heard the familiar skipping of someone follow her over.

“Hey.”

Bailey’s voice, a welcome change from Clint and Natalie’s far more high pitched ones. Skye tossed the cups and turned to the other girl, already wearing the Theatre Club T-shirt.

“Hey.”

“Ready to run?” Bailey asked as her smile grew a little, “or walk, or jog, sorry I’m kind of nervous.”

Skye raised an eyebrow and Bailey took a little breath.

“The community theatre is here and they’re going to see our preview later. I hope they like it. It would be a huge deal if they helped promote it for us and if they came to see it.”

“You’ll be amazing,” Skye offered as she flashed Bailey a small smile, “remember what we talked about?”

“Yeah,” Bailey took another breath, “focus on Rory, pretend we’re rehearsing like normal… except people will be watching and booing if I mess up.”

“Stop. You’re not going to mess up. You know this scene by heart, and you’ll have Rory and Danielle on stage with you.”

“Yeah, but, I’m not sure Danielle likes me.”

“Huh, I didn’t think Danielle likes anyone,” Skye offered with a roll of her eyes, “besides maybe Rory, she’s kind of a bitch to everyone else.”

Bailey surprisingly just nodded, “I think she’s upset that I got the princess part instead of her. I don’t know why, but I offered to switch with her! But Ajay said no.”

“I’m sure she’ll get over it,” Skye offered before catching sight of the theatre kids chanting and surrounded Erin, “what’s everyone doing?”

“Oh, I think Ajay nominated Erin to help promote the play and the preview once she finishes. Since she’s the only athlete in theatre she’ll probably finish first. Ajay doesn’t think he’ll get that far on his leg.”

“So she can do some last minute hyping for the preview,” Skye mused, “wonder how quickly I can finish this thing.”

“I forgot, you said you mom forced you to ice skate. Does she force you to run to prep for that?”

“Yeah, I used to run with Brian all the time. My mother thought it would be a nice bonding thing, but it quickly turned to Brian chasing me down every morning. So now I just run by myself in the evenings.”

“I bet Erin could use the extra help.”

“We’ll see how I do, I usually don’t time myself since I stopped running away from Brian.”

“You mean running with Brian?”

“Nope.”

Bailey laughed, the sound sweet as it vibrated through the air around them.

“Sorry I won’t be much help, I’m not the fastest runner,” Bailey added, “I probably won’t finish as quickly as you two.”

“You’re not supposed to run the entire thing, Dork, remember you gotta perform later. Don’t get too tired here. Leave it to Erin and me.”

Bailey smiled sweetly, green eyes lit up softly at Skye words. After a minute Ajay called that everyone had to line up and get ready for the start of the run. The theatre kids take their marks with Erin close to the front, the taller girl easy to see among the other runners. A few other schools were participating, Skye recognized the dark blue Kepler shirts from football games her parents dragged her too. There also looked to be a few athletes from Statton and the off colors of Eastridge High among the small crowd of early runners. Everyone gathered underneath the large banner at the starting line. “Oktoberfest 5K For A Cure” in large letters across the bright orange paper. “Sponsored by Edenbrook Cancer Center” in smaller text at the bottom. Skye recognized the name. Edenbrook was the main hospital chain across the nation. They had several hospitals in Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington State, and Oregon. Their cancer center was a few miles away from the Pediatric Hospital that Skye had called home for several years.

“Alright guys! Let’s get pumped for the 5K, we’re gonna rock it and help raise a lot of money for Cancer Awareness.”

There’s a round of cheering at Rory’s speech, Natalie and Clint being particularly loud.

“And then we’re gonna knock everyone’s socks off with our preview and sell a bunch of tickets,” Rory flashed a bright smile as the theatre club cheered again at their words, “let’s all aim to finish the 5K in under and hour so we have enough time to get ready for the preview. Then we can all grab dinner! Ajay’s treat!”

“Hey!”

“Come on Ajay, I’ll clean the theatre room for a week. Sound fair?”

Ajay let out a sigh, “alright fine, if everything goes well, I’ll buy dinner for everyone. I’ll even spring for the good pizza if we manage to sell at least fifty tickets.”

Rory let out a gasp, “The good pizza? From Zola’s?”

“Yup,” Ajay smiled as he noticed he had the attention of the entire Theatre Club now, “Zola’s pizza, on me. But only if you earn it.”

“Run like the wind Erin!” Natalie cheered, “If we get to the top twenty our sponsors donate extra money right?”

“That’s the deal, my dad got a bunch of the companies he works with to sponsor us, they’ll donate an extra hundred dollars for every person who’s time is in the top twenty.”

Skye listened momentarily before looking ahead. Erin flashed a smile and thumbs up at the theatre kids as the announcer counted down the start of the 5K. As soon as the flag was waved, Erin was off like a flash of lightning, quickly jumping to the front of the pack. The cheers of the theatre club memoirs spurred her faster. Pedestrians cheered as the head of the pack tore ahead through the mapped out trail.

“Go Erin!”

Skye merged with the next round of joggers picking up her pace as Erin got farther and farther away. After a few seconds she felt herself at a brisk jog picking up a quickening pace. As she surged forward she thought she heard Bailey’s voice faintly from behind her.

“Good luck Skye!”

There was something about Bailey’s voice cheering her on, it made something click in Skye’s head. It made her want her legs to move faster. It made her  _ want _ to cross that finish line before anyone else. Skye had tunnel vision, only seeing the steps before her, the runners that were still in front of her. The number of people she passed as she pressed forward passed the first turn and down the trail with only one thought burning in her head.

She wanted to see Bailey at the finish line, she wanted to be able to tell her that she made the first twenty. The autumnal air that wrapped around her only spurred her forward. She caught herself a little, trying to keep pace. She knew she could complete a mile in under eleven minutes, she’s done it before. She should be able to complete the 5K in thirty minutes easily. But would it have been enough? Sure, this was the high school age bracket, and she was sure there were no experienced runners, but how many were faster then her? How many of them could complete the mine in ten minutes? 

There were two ways to run a long distance race. Skye remembered the words from Brian’s old track teacher when Brian did his small stunt on the track team. You either leave them in the dust from the beginning and keep going until you win, or keep your pace and end strong when your opponents are tired. Brian of course always wanted to try the former, but he never had the stamina to keep the pace the entire time. Needless to say, the track was short-lived for Brian. 

Skye needed to mind her pace, at the same time she wanted to push herself to do each mile in less than eleven minutes. If she could get it to ten, that would be even better. 5K was a little over three miles, and if she started too hot she’d get tired and lose momentum. She might even be reduced to walking the rest of the way. There were less people watching after the first three quarters of a mile. The crowd started to thin out. A few people waved when they noticed the runners go by. Mostly kids. They were running through the bulk of the farmland now, Skye could see the red barn with the sheep in it. As they looped around they could see the game booths and smell food from the food trucks as they took their places on the fairgrounds. 

The grounds were huge, the path cut through rows of autumn colored trees, fields with farm animals and back around to the finish line. Skye noticed a few of the runners slowed to a walk, more content with taking in the sights of the farm as she raced by. Before Skye knew it she was coming up to the half-way point. Her legs started aching, not used to the slightly faster pace Skye was pushing for. But she was already half-way done. All she needed to do was keep it up and she had a chance of cutting in the top twenty. Sweat was sticking to her face, stray red hair pressed against her neck as she ran. 

_ I’ve never done anything that’s made anyone proud of me. _

The thought hit her hard, suddenly. A sting of pain as she recalled all the times she let people down. This felt like a chance to make  _ someone _ feel like she wasn’t a waste of space. Maybe then, it would feel like she was worth the heart in her chest. She was worth this second chance. 

Would Bailey smile at her?

Would her face light up at the news of Skye finishing in the top twenty, earning a hundred more dollars for cancer research in the name of Berry High’s Theatre Club? Would it make a difference? Would people notice the club? Notice their play and see their cause? Would it help them save someone struggling with medical costs and help them get the help they needed?

The thoughts almost distract the growing pain in her body. Her lungs started to ache as cold air assaulted them while her body started to heavily protest running for this long. But she was so close. She could see the finish line. The final push, all or nothing. The final sprint sends her muscles into overdrive, crossing the finish line with an anxiety she hadn’t felt in a while. Skye slowed her pace, taking in large amounts of chilled air to try and slow her quick breathing and rapid heart rate. One of the volunteers waves her over, a smile on her face.

“Berry High School Theatre Department, name?”

“Skye Crandall,”

The office pulled the sponsor form with her name on it. Rory’s handwriting had the list of sponsors. The woman wrote in Skye’s time: 28:35 and next to it the number 26. 

“Okay, place 26 means your sponsors pay an additional fifty dollars.” The woman informed me as she wrote a “+$50” next to all of the sponsor names, “great job, feel free to wait for the rest of your team at the rest stop. Remember to hydrate and please take time to enjoy the rest of the festival. Thank you for your participation and donations.”

The woman handed her a small enamel pin with “top 30” embossed on it. She placed the pin in Skye’s hand as a few more runners walked over, the other tent employees jotting down their times as they crossed the line. Skye stepped off to the side, catching her breath as she walked over to the rest area. It was weird, she felt a bit of disappointment in missing top twenty by such a small margin, but the additional donation for her placing did feel better. It was a little something to be proud of. Skye secured the little ghost to her Theatre shirt before collapsing on the bench. 

“Skye? Hey!” Skye looked over to see Erin walking over to her with a grin. The taller girl offered her a bottle of water as she took a seat next to her, “Wow you finished early. Usually I’m waiting here a lot longer for the others to catch up.”

Skye sipped the cool water, resisting the urge to chug it like an animal for fear she’d only throw it back up if it hit her system too suddenly.

“How did you do?” Skye asked casually as she caught her breath.

“I barely made the top twenty. I came in eighteenth,” Erin gestured to her ghost pin with “Top 20” embossed on it, “there were some good runners today. A few track stars from Kepler really took the gold. They were all in the top ten.”

Skye looked around at the small pool of finished runners. Most of them did, in fact, have Kepler colors on. 

“I remember playing baseball with them last year. That’s Fastball Finn, he’s a good guy, I didn’t know he was that good of a runner too,” Erin continued with a smile, “There are also a few track girls from Twin Branches High School, but not as many as I thought there would be.”

“You know a lot about the other runners then?”

“I guess,” Erin shrugged, “Most of them are people I’ve met through volleyball, or basketball, or baseball. I also get to meet a lot of people through theatre, but Berry’s theatre department hasn’t gotten to travel and perform as much as other theatre departments.”

“Why not?”

“Honestly, I think it was because of our director before Ajay. He wasn’t a bad guy, but it was clear he didn’t have the drive or passion for theatre that Ajay does. He thought of the theatre club as just a club, not as a theatre troupe that could perform and compete with other schools, so we never entered any contests or advertised our productions as much as we do with Ajay.”

The two sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Erin giggled. Skye looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry, I was just thinking, I’m really glad you joined theatre. Ajay might not express it much, but I can tell he’s happy to have you. You’re like his shadow, you’re the only one who can keep up with Ajay’s edits and changes. I think you make his job less stressful too. He doesn’t have to worry about whatever you're working on, he knows you’ll come to him if there are issues and that you’ll do the job given.”

“Don’t all the techs do that?” Skye asked as she leaned back on the bench.

“They should, but I don’t think they’re used to the increased workload Ajay gives them. Trevor tries to keep the piece, make compromises, but I know Ajay doesn’t like to compromise on certain things. And Trevor doesn’t always take things as seriously as he should.”

“I’ve noticed,” Skye muttered with a bit of an eye roll. It wasn’t that she thought Trevor was a bad tech or a bad person, it was just that Trevor was very lax about everything, where Skye put in more hours to make sure everything was set up correctly. 

“I was going to walk around and do some campaigning for the preview, want to tag along?”

“I’m not great at  _ campaigning _ .”

“That’s okay, you can keep me company. I already chatted with some of the Kepler kids and they said they’d come check out the preview. I just need to get the rest of the flyers from my car and then we can hit a few other areas of the fair.”

Skye nodded despite her legs disagreeing with the additional movement as she walked with Erin to her car to get the flyers. Erin led them through the more crowded areas of the fair. Her outgoing personality quickly allowed her to strut up to groups of students or workers and chat with them about the preview. It was strange to see Erin’s level of confidence as she walked up to strangers and chatted with them. Skye’s only seen that level of confidence in a fake form with Brian. It was weird to see someone naturally that sure of themselves.

“Do you think all these people will really come see the preview?”

“I hope so, after all, Ajay promised pizza from Zola’s if the preview went well,” Erin smiled, “It would also be nice to show the Cedar Cove Community Theatre how we’ve improved since Ajay took over.”

“You know, back at Hearst, the football team had a FaceSpace page where they advertised all their fundraisers and games. Does Berry have something like that for the arts?”

“We do, but it was pretty neglected before Ajay took over. I’ve been helping get the page up to date. Ajay isn’t the best with technology of any kind. Right now I think our bigger hurdle is that no one knows the page exists. But if we can get the Community Theatre to promote the play on their social pages, then it will help the Berry Theatre Department page get more attention. Jordan’s also helping by letting Berry Students know about the page and asking them to give us a follow.”

Erin took a few more steps before stopping and turning towards Skye.

“Actually, I should post about the 5K! Take a picture with me.”

“The 5K?”

“Yeah, it would raise awareness for the walk and for  _ The Magic Kingdom _ .” Erin smiled as she pulled out her phone. She smiled up at the camera and snapped a quick picture before turning her phone to type something. Within a few minutes she gives the phone a final tap and turns back to Skye.

“Alright, let’s get a few more of these flyers passed out, then we can head back and wait for the others at the finish line.”

Erin smiled and led them through the crowd to another fun themed booth with a nice sized group of people around it. As they walked Skye felt her phone buzz in her pocket. As Erin spoke to the small group, Skye pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the screen seeing the Facebook notification. Skye tapped on the app and in a few seconds the photo of her and Erin popped up.

_ The cast and crew of The Magic Kingdom stand up to fight Cancer during @Oktoberfest’s 5K Walk For A Cure. We have two runners in the Top 30, gaining more donations from our generous sponsors. How about you guys @BerryAthletics _

Erin smiled brightly in the photo next to Skye’s slightly more stoic and confused expression. There were already a few comments.

_ Berry High Tigers Football: Dang, we might have to start recruiting from the Theatre! Either of you interested in being our newest Running Back? We had three runners confirmed for the Top 20 slots. _

_ Berry High Tigers Cheerleading: GO THEATRE CLUB _

_ Berry High Tigers Volleyball: NEXT YEAR WE GET @ERIN WARD! _

_ Jordan Lee: Sweet! Nice Job Erin. Sorry I couldn’t walk this year :’( _

Skye put her phone away, happy that the Berry High Theatre Page was doing well enough to get some of the other departments support. Once Erin’s done charming the final group of people, she checks her phone for the time and motions that they should head back to wait for the others at the finish line. They walked back over to the rest area to see it heavily more populated than before. There were more Eastridge students hanging out, a few rowdy members of the football team goofing off around the main drink stand. A few Berry athletes waved in Erin’s direction as she passed.

“Looks like they haven’t come around yet,” Erin mused as her and Skye took over an empty bench, “they should be done soon though, Rory and Ajay usually finish these things in about an hour so they should be coming to the end.”

As a few minutes passed, Skye noticed a familiar head of black hair dashing towards the finish line.

“Isn’t that Natalie?” 

Erin looked up, her expression dropping a bit as Natalie burst through the finish line and looked around frantically, before the officials could direct her to the table to confirm her time, she dashed over to where Erin and Skye sat.

“Guys, we have an issue!”

The normally lovestruck teen was covered in sweat, hair messy and face red from running.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Bailey, she fell and sprained her ankle. We might not be able to do the preview now.”

“Ok, calm down, tell us where the other’s are,” Erin’s voice stayed calm as Skye felt a sinking dread in her stomach.

“Rory carried Bailey to the midpoint where the nurse’s station is. Ajay went with her. Clint and Danielle are behind me.”

As if on queue, Clint and Danielle came running up, followed closely by Trevor and a few more techs. 

“Alright, everyone check in with your times so we can get the donations finalized. Skye and I will run over to the half-way point and see what’s going on.”

Skye didn’t have to be told twice, with a quick look at Erin, the two walked around the crowds and broke into a jog back down the trail towards the half-way point. Erin led the way, her pace slightly faster as Skye’s legs started heavily protesting the additional movement. She tried to ignore it, too focused on getting to Bailey.

Erin and Skye have to weave through runners, trying their best to stay out of the way as they crept closer to the half-point. Erin gets to the point first, turning off the train and towards the little half-way rest stop. Skye struggled to follow, her own feet threatening to trip her if she didn’t calm down. As Skye turned and caught up Ajay met them outside the tent, his face furrowed in worry and stress.

“What happened?” Erin asked as Rory poked their head out of the tent.

“There was too much goofing around, Danielle knocked into Bailey and knocked her down, she twisted her ankle in the process,” Ajay explained as he rubbed his temples, “This isn’t good, we need to finish the walk so our donations count before we can get the preview set up.”

“Ajay, we will think of something. You and Rory come with me to finish the walk, Skye can stay with Bailey. Let’s get our thoughts together and get the preview set up while Bailey rests. I’ll text Sydney and let her know what’s going on and to see if she can grab a few more costumes in case we need to switch the scene.”

“We can’t switch! We worked extra hard on that scene,” Ajay argued.

“Right now we need to focus on the walk, come on you two, I’ll walk with you to the finish line, then we can see where Bailey is and if she can walk for the preview.”

Ajay grumbled and Rory looked like they walked to argue for a second before they gave up. 

“Text us if anything changes,” Rory directed at Skye as Erin directed the two back onto the trail. Skye slipped into the small tent, the nurse was treating another patient with a scraped knee while Bailey sat on the other bed, her leg propped up on a pillow with white gauze wrapped around it and an ice pack on top. The blonde looked up when Skye entered, looking stressed as she tossed an arm lazily over her eyes.

“How’s the ankle?” Skye asked as she carefully walked over, Bailey groaned, a little whimper breaking through as she removed her arm. Up close Skye could see how red her eyes were, a clear sign that the blonde was upset.

“I’m an idiot.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, we’ll figure out the preview.”

“The nurse said I couldn’t finish the walk, so I doubt I’ll be able to walk on it before the preview.”

Skye sat on the edge of the bed next to her, Bailey glanced at her for a moment before her hand rose up to brush the pin Skye had secured on her sleeve.

“You kept up with Erin?” Bailey asks with the faintest smile, “I bet she was surprised to see you.”

Bailey ran her hand back down Skye’s arm, leaving a faint trace of goosebumps on chilled skin under Skye’s long-sleeve shirt. It wasn’t near the praise Skye had imagined, and it was followed with sadness as she caught the expression that Bailey tried to hide behind green eyes. Skye felt helpless, like there was nothing she could do for the other girl. Bailey pulled her hand back, looking back up at the top of the tent with red-rimmed eyes.

“Bailey,” the blonde looked over at Skye at the sound of her name, but Skye didn't say anything else, the silence between them hung for a few moments.

“Yes?” Bailey responded trying to encourage whatever Skye was trying to tell her.

“... I want to help, but I don’t know how to make you feel better.”

Bailey’s expression softened as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. 

“How about a hug?”

Skye looked up at her as Bailey opened her arms with an encouraging smile. After a moment she tugs Skye into her, wrapping her arms around Skye’s shoulders tightly. The smell of her Gusher’s shampoo invaded Skye’s senses as she awkwardly fumbled to return the hug. Bailey let out a sigh as she pressed her face into Skye’s shoulder. 

“Thank you,” Bailey’s voice was muffled by the black Theatre Club shirt. Her arms stayed tight around Skye for a few more moments before she pulled away, smiling ruefully as she settled back on the cot.

“How’s your ankle feel?” The nurse asked as she walked over. Skye moved as the nurse moved to look at Bailey’s ankle. After a few test movements the nurse looked over, “It’s not a bad sprain, but you need to rest it for a few days.”

Bailey nodded as the nurse backed away from the cot.

“You can head out now if you want, make sure you ice it again when you get home.”

“Okay,” Bailey nodded as the nurse walked away.

“Want to try standing on it?”

Bailey took a breath swinging her legs around to sit on the edge of the cot. Slowly she stood up, Skye close to her side. Bailey held on to Skye’s arm as she tested the weight on her foot.

“It’s okay, I can do the preview.”

Skye gave the girl a skeptic look as she tried to cover a look of discomfort.

“You heard the nurse you have to rest-”

“Skye, please, it’s important. I have to do this.”

Bailey’s green eyes pleaded with her, and Skye knew she wasn’t going to be able to fight with her any more. Skye sighed,

“Okay, but you’re not walking on it to the stage. You need to rest so you only have to walk on it for the preview.”

“So, how am I-”

“I’ll carry you.”

Bailey looked at the redhead like she was crazy.

“You’re tired, you did the 5K and then you did half of it again to get here, you’re not going to carry me-”

“I’m not going to let you make it worse.” Skye interrupted with a huff, “come on, if we go now we can calm Ajay and Rory down before Ajay’s hair turns grey.”

Bailey still gave Skye a skeptical look as she turned and motioned for Bailey to get on her back. Bailey rolled her eyes, her arms slipping around Skye’s shoulders.

“I hope you know this is insane.”

“Yeah, I know.” 

Skye’s entire body rejected the movement as she stood up with Bailey on her back, arms wrapped around her knees as they started the walk down the grassy paths that lead from the nurse’s tent to the small stage the community theatre used for scary-story nights. Skye let out a sigh as she started in the direction, a few people giving them strange looks as they passed. After almost ten minutes Bailey started to shift.

“I can walk the rest of the way,” Bailey suggested, “Skye, you’re exhausted, you’re going to collapse if you try to carry me the entire way there.”

“But-”

“I’ll be careful, I promise, and I can still hold on to you. I just… really feel bad, your entire body is super tense, you’re going to hurt yourself if you force yourself to carry me the whole way.”

Skye sighed, she knew Bailey was probably right. Skye stopped, Bailey hopped down, careful of her bad ankle and moved to Skye’s side, her arm holding on to Skye as they slowly started to walk again.

“You’re really sweet.”

Skye looked over, seeing Bailey look at her with soft eyes. Skye felt her face grow hot as she turned back to face in front of them, unsure what to say.

It felt like a blur after that, and in a moment Skye’s not sure what to feel. She’s not sure what she’s feeling as Sydney swept Bailey away for a wardrobe change. Ajay is asking her a million questions about her ankle. Trevor is going over lighting for the preview. Rory and Danielle are already in costume. All of them were just moving in blurs, unrecognizable as faces or people. Skye can tell Ajay’s blur as it moves across the stage. Erin’s in moving slower, checking in with all the actors… and Bailey’s was the clearest of them all. Even in her tuned out head, Skye could see Bailey clearly. Her bright smile, her warm green eyes, her flaws and her resolve, her brightness and shadows.

Within minutes, Bailey is on the stage, in her persona of Abigail. Her movements and expressions have a blurred edge. Her voice is strong and passionate as she recites every line perfectly. Bailey was a star, the rest of the cast grayed into the darkness of the sky. She’s the only one who Skye could focus on when her head got like this. When the world started to slip away from her. Bailey grounded her just by being there. 

Skye shut her eyes for a moment, the exhaustion of the day eating at her. She let Bailey’s monologue lull her to a calmer state of mind. Within a minute, her revenge is broken by Rory’s voice invading her senses, and suddenly the word is rushing back at her, noises and colors and sounds suddenly hit her as her mind was dragged from the calm into the storm of senses. Rory’s on stage, delivering their lines when Skye snapped out of her haze. She felt a hand on her arm.

“You okay?” 

It’s Ajay’s voice, the older student looked at her with a concerned expression. It occurred to Skye that she hadn’t moved the lightboard or soundboard.

“Y-yeah, sorry.”

“It’s okay, Trevor took over for now, I figured you’d be tired from all the running we made you and Erin do,” Ajay explained as Rory and Bailey finished the scene, the crowd of people breaking into an applause, “I looks like everything paid off, we’ve already had a few people come over to ask about tickets.”

“That’s good,” Skye nodded as Ajay gently led her over to where Natalie and Clint sat, processing pre-sales for the small crowd of people who had gathered over. Erin was taking the lead, chatting people up as she did before.

“Erin’s much better at selling things then I am,” Ajay mentioned as he sighed, “So it looks like pizza is on me tonight. From Zola’s as promised.”

“... Is Zola’s that big of a deal?”

“It’s really good pizza,” Rory offered as she and Bailey appeared next to Ajay and Skye, still wearing their costumes, “they make their own dough and it’s fire cooking in their famous stone oven, the crust is amazing. And since Ajay basically confirmed that we’ve sold at least a hundred tickets, I will be ordering the Theatre Club regular.”

Rory smiled and pulled out their cell phone, Ajay sighed.

“I can pitch in some cash Ajay,” Erin offered, “then we can send someone to grab drinks.”

The theatre club members wait as Danielle, Rory, and Bailey change out of their costumes before they walk over to the small picnic area. The club snagged a picnic table and as soon as they sat down Clint and Natalie started gushing to Rory about how well they did during the preview. Skye felt someone bump into her and looked over to see Bailey ungracefully hand in the spot beside her.

“Sorry!”

“You’re good, how’s your ankle?”

“It’s sore, but I’ll manage,” Bailey flashed her a weak smile. It faded after a moment as she studied Skye’s face, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, tired,” Skye muttered as she rested her chin on her hand.

Bailey hummed as Natalie dragged her into a conversation Skye didn’t care enough to hear. The hum between the theatre kids continues for several minutes or hours, Skye doesn’t recall the time before Ajay walked up with a stack of pizza boxes. Rory jumped up to help him carry them to the table with a smile on their face.

“The Theatre Club Special, one all cheese, one all meat, and one garden veggie paired with two orders of buffalo wings. Danielle’s back with drinks too!”

“Yeah, yeah. Dr. Pepper for Rory, Dr. Pepper for Clint, Dr. Pepper for Natalie, Orange Fanta for Trevor, Iced Black Tea for Skye, Iced Black Tea for Ajay,” Danielle listed as she circled the table, handing out the drinks, “and that’s everyone? Oh, sorry, Bailey I think I forgot what you wanted.”

“That’s okay! I can-”

“Here,” Rory handed Bailey their bottle of soda, “I can run and get another.”

“That’s very brave Rory, we’ll try to save you some pizza,” Erin teased.

“You don’t have to, Rory! You can have mine, Clint and I don’t mind running over together. We can grab some napkins while we’re there,” Natalie offered.

“Right, I forgot those too,” Danielle muttered, “Sorry guys.”

Natalie pushed her bottle of soda into Rory’s hands before they could protest. Her and Clint hurried off to the convenient store across the street from the fairgrounds, giggling like cartoon school girls as they went. Danielle’s face went sour for a second, directed at Bailey before she took a seat at the table with a faux smile. Rory moved to the head of the table, grabbing the stack of plates before passing out slices of pizza. The theatre table fell into friendly conversation, Erin and Ajay discussing the ticket sales and upcoming promotion ideas while Trevor and Danielle were engaged in their own conversation. As Rory set a plate down in front of Skye, they gave Skye a playful wink before cutting a slice of pizza, but instead of simply putting it on her plate like a normal person, they held it up for Skye to take a bite.

“Taste!”

Skye only looked at the other theatre club members like they were crazy.

“... Why are you?”

“Anyone’s first taste of Zola’s pizza is a sacred experience and needs to be taken seriously,” Rory’s face morphed into one of seriousness, “and what better way to enjoy food then have someone feed you?”

“I don’t think-”

“Taste!”

Skye sighed, giving in to Rory’s crazy and taking a bite of the offered pizza. Rory grinned, eyeing the girl expectantly as she chewed. It was hard not to notice that Danielle's expression had turned to a far colder stare as Rory's full attention stayed on Skye.

“Soooooo-”

“The pizza’s good, the feeder is a little sub-par.”

“Ouch!” Rory laughed as they placed the slice in Skye’s plate, “I see you’re not going to be easy to win over, challenge accepted.”

Skye scoffed, feeling a bit of an icy bit to the air as she felt Danielle’s glare on her. Ajay shook his head at Rory’s antics.

“Not everyone likes their food touched.”

“Is this about the burrito incident, because I apologized.”

The group fell back into casual conversation, Ajay and Rory bickered amongst the more civil conversation. Skye watched Bailey pick at her food from the corner of her eye. The usually much more lively girl quieter than normal, a bit of a glum expression on her face. Skye watched as Bailey plastered on smiles for Rory or Natalie or Clint as they spoke to her, but when they weren’t looking, the neutral expression returned, concealing anything the blonde was hiding. Skye watched the changes of persona for a few minutes before resorting to focus on her plate, trying to rack her brain for new ways to try and help the blonde next to her.


	6. Uneven Ground

The weekend felt like it ended quickly after the run. Before she knew it, Skye was back at school, sitting in a circle during the Monday support group meeting. Mrs. Silva was here today, looking a little paler than normal, but her smile was still true. She greeted everyone individually as they walked into the room, Rory was close by, helping steer her around in her wheelchair. 

It’s become a quick forming habit. Skye and Bailey always show up to group therapy around the same time. They take their usual seats and are then quickly joined by Ajay and Rory to go over highs and lows of the previous week. Ajay was a bit more distracted than usual, his dark eyes narrowed towards the screen of his phone. 

“Watching ticket sales like a hawk won’t make them sell faster,” Rory joked in an attempt to lighten the tense air surrounding the brooding teen. Ajay let out his trademark sigh before shoving his phone back into his pocket.

“Not looking at ticket sales this time, my mom keeps texting me nonsense,” Ajay ran a hand through his hair, “I had an appointment this weekend. Nothing serious, it was just a routine check up. But when the doctor left the room for a moment, Dad brought up how I’ve had my prosthetic leg for almost three years now and that he planned to buy me a better model since he read somewhere that the legs start to go bad after three years. I told him no, because my leg is fine. Dad kept insisting and next thing I know my parents are arguing over whether or not I need a new leg. Even though I said I was fine!”

Ajay sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“Didn’t they fight about this before too?” Rory asked cautiously.

“Yeah, this isn’t the first time. It’s been a recurring argument since my dad found out that there were more high end artificial limbs. My dad likes to give my brother and I extravagant gifts and he keeps saying he wants this to be one of them. My mom thinks we should wait, because it should be my decision and because the leg isn’t as important as my overall treatment. Then they just go back and forth screaming until someone else enters the room.”

Rory’s face fell as they watched Ajay’s expressions shift from frustration to anger to sadness. They ran a hand through their hair before flashing their director a smile.

“Don’t worry Ajay, think positive. Like about it only took seven times for me to figure out that choreography for the first sword fighting scene.”

“Now if only you could get the other two,” Ajay signed as he forced a bit of a smile. They were an interesting pair to watch. Like two people that haven’t fully figured out how to have a conversation without bickering. Skye found it in a strange way comforting to know she wasn’t the only one in their group of friends who was socially awkward.

After a few calmer moments, Mrs. Silva clapped to gain everyone’s attention.

“It’s so nice to see everyone again,” Mrs. Silva sighed as she looked around the room, “I missed all your faces last week. With some more stressful months coming up, midterms and finals and such, I thought tonight would be a good night to focus on stress. Specifically, I want to focus on negative stress. The kind of stress that has negative effects on your physical or mental health. Bad stress can trigger anxiety or panic attacks in some people, while causing dissociation, headaches, migraines, body aches, and all kinds of nasty things. Stress can also cause your immune system to weaken which can make you get sick easier. With flu season around the corner, I think now's a really good type to start talking about how to keep your mental health from causing physical effects on your body. Now there are many ways to deal with stress. One way that I’ve found helpful is a little trick called grounding.”

Mrs. Silva reached into her purse and pulled out a medium sized change purse, she set it in her lap.

“When I was in college, my counselor taught me this trick to lessen stress through grounding techniques. I find these are very helpful and help me calm down in high stress situations. This is my grounding box, a little parcel of things I carry around in case I feel overwhelmed. It’s where I keep a baby photo of Rory, some essential oils that I enjoy, a tiny paper turtle Rory made for me when they were in second grade, and well you get the idea. I think it would be a good assignment for you all if you created your own grounding boxes.”

There’s a little buzz of chatter throughout the room as Mrs. Silva opened her coin purse to show off a few of the little trinkets she carried with her.

“Let’s start with identifying negative stressors. These can be things like tests or treatments or doctor appointments.”

“Rory,”

“Yes?”

“Nothing, I was listing you as a stressor,” Ajay smirked as Rory let out a dramatic gasp. Mrs. Silva shook her head with a little smile.

“Directing a play, selling tickets, keeping actors in line, I could name a few others for you as well Ajay,” Mrs. Silva added, “different people have different stressors, part of this therapy is learning what triggers your worst attacks and what helps ground you or helps relax you. Think of something that causes you stress.”

Mrs. Silva paused, allowing the room a moment to think.

“Now think of something that you enjoy, something that calms you down and puts you in a good mood. The idea of a grounding box is to take the things that bring you happiness and convert them into a handy travel sized version that you can take with you for those times that you feel stressed out.”

“So, we can put anything in it?” Bailey asked over the chatter of some of the other members.

“Yes, anything at all. When putting together a box, I like to take into account all five of the senses. I learned from an old phycology friend that she recommended that people with panic attacks keep lemons in reach, the taste being so strong and bitter that it distracted their minds from what their trigger was, for example. Other people like to use hard candy or gum. It depends on your individual situation and how strong the stimuli needs to be to distract your brain from what it’s doing and to focus on something more else. When constructing your box you want to keep all five senses in mind.”

Mrs. Silva continued to go over how to create the grounding boxes. Skye let her mind wander. A box of things that calmed her down? Did she even own something like that?

“I also have an announcement,” Mrs. Silva smiled, “I’ve spoken to a few good friends who have agreed to help me with a personal project to make therapy more accessible to students. I’m sure some of you have heard of an app called ThoughtfulMinds. For those who haven’t, it’s an app that allows the user to talk in real time to a licensed therapist from the comfort of their own home. The app allows you to call, text, or video message with your therapist, schedule in-person appointments, and access all kinds of mindful information. The app wants to branch out to assist more high school aged children who may be in need of someone to talk to. If you create a new account and use the code TIGERS, my friends over at ThoughtfulMinds will give you a free year trial.”

“A year's trial?” Ajay asked, causing Rory to snort a bit as his voice sounded very much like an infomercial.

“ThoughtfulMinds wants to partner up with various high schools to provide free mental health help and knowledge to high schoolers. This is a very difficult time in many people’s lives and many people don’t seek out therapy because it’s expensive or they don’t think they should go for one reason or another. So we’re changing the game by giving high schoolers no excuse not to seek help when needed. If the program goes well ThoughtfulMinds plans to branch out and make their therapy services free for all high school students during their time in school.”

“Mom was telling me about it earlier,” Rory spoke up, “It’s a really cool set up. The program is funded by private investors and funding so the service can be free. You get matched with a therapist and can talk to them whenever they have open chat hours.”

Rory locked eyes with Bailey, and for some reason it caused a bit of a spike in tension.

“I think therapy could really help a lot of high school students.”

“I didn’t know you were so passionate about this,” Skye offered, seeing Bailey shift uncomfortably in her chair. Rory’s gaze turned to her and the dark haired teen smiled.

“I may be partial, because I started therapy when I was going through a lot of self-discovery. When I came to terms with the fact that I’m non-binary and being nervous to really embrace that side of me. It really helped to have someone else to talk to when I was scared to talk to my mom.”

Skye nodded as the tension slowly died down. Bailey was very quiet the rest of the meeting and Skye wondered if there was a reason Rory was trying to specifically explain how important it was to her directly.

Rory knew Bailey better, maybe this thing Bailey was dealing with was something she needed more help with? Skye shook off the thoughts, it wasn’t right of her to try to figure out Bailey’s story, especially if Bailey didn’t want to tell her. 

***

Mrs. Silva made it sound so simple. But the only things they took residence in Skye’s black pencil case were her typical drawing pencils and a few fineliner pens. In themselves she could argue that drawing was a coping mechanism for her. Especially during her days at the hospital. It was the only thing she could do for some time. 

There should be another pen in her case, Skye thought as she looked over the few fineliners in the case. She had a  _ Sharpie _ that was given to her by… what was his name? Skye furrowed her brow as she thought. It was another patient when her parents flew her out to the Boston Edenbrook hospital while she was getting diagnosed. Something about wanting to meet some clients in Boston, but not being able to go because of Skye’s sudden illness and the doctor’s recommendation not to have Skye travel. They disguised their business meetings as wanting a reevaluation of Skye’s illness at the main Edenbrook hospital.

She still had a box of stuff from the hospital, from the last day she spent there and got to officially clean the room she had considered home for months before her final operation. Maybe she had left it there. Skye walked around her bed, reaching underneath where she kept all kinds of personal contraband from her parents and pulled out an old white office-style box with some scattered items inside. A filled sketchbook from her last year at the hospital, some scattered papers, and a children’s book rested at the bottom of the cardboard container. Skye picked up the book:  _ Belly Rubbins for Bubbins _ written in cartoon letters at the top, a crudely drawn dog on the cover looked back at her.

Skye remembered the book, the volunteers used to read it to her. She remembered sitting in bed at seven or eight years old when the young volunteer came in with the book, offering to read it to her. Skye’s default answer to the volunteers was always a “yes,” if for no other reason because it would keep her from getting lonely for an hour. Most of the books never caught Skye’s attention… but this one.

It was about a dog who lived with a mean family that didn’t love him. But the dog stayed optimistic that one day he would have a loving family. He dealt with ten years of abuse before running away. Soon a kind stranger found him and took him to a shelter where he would meet his new family who loved him. 

Skye could remember asking the volunteer if she would one day have a loving family like Bubbins did in the book. It was so clearly not a question the volunteer was used to having. She just laughed and made excuses for Skye’s parents more than understand the pain Skye kept with her.

_ Your parents are just stressed about the doctor bills. _

_ I’m sure they’re worried about you, they’re your parents. _

_ Don’t you worry, they love you, they’re just dealing with a lot right now. _

_ You need to not worry them more, I’m sure they’re dealing with this the best they can. _

Skye never did see that volunteer again, they did give her the book though before they left. A pitiful expression on their face as they handed it off to Skye. That memory alone confirmed in Skye’s head that this wasn’t the kind of thing that would belong in a grounding box. Skye set the book and the memories attached to it to the side. 

There were some flattened origami birds, Skye thought she recalled that the little figures were supposed to be cranes. She could recall folding these in the activity area of the hospital with a little girl with black hair. Farther down there’s an old Nintendo DS Lite, a hand-me-down from Brian once he grew bored of it. There was a Pokemon game cartridge still in the system and a charging cable rolled half-hazardly. There’s a few more game cartridges scattered around the box. One featured a purple dragon on the sticker, another with the Kingdom Hearts logo on it, nothing Skye would pick up now. 

It was funny how blurry Skye’s memory was of the hospital. She remembered vague descriptions of children whom she shared the pediatric ward with, but she couldn’t recall a single person’s name. The most vivid image she had in her head was of a young boy who used to live in the room across the hall from her when her parents made trips to Boston to butter up a few high paying clients. Skye was sure the only reason she could remember him was because he said good morning to her every day. Sometimes if she was doing classwork he’d chat with her for a few minutes. He was a nice kid, a few years older than her. Skye recalled him saying he had liver cancer. He was a cheerful personality that Skye hadn’t been used to seeing. He was basically the head kid in the wing, always checking on everyone and making sure everyone was okay. Sometimes he’d sneak chocolate pudding to patients who couldn’t get down to the cafeteria to hussle the staff for it. He was loud and witty and looking back, a bit like Rory in some ways. He was popular, a troublemaker, and was a presence you couldn’t forget. 

And then he’d talk about something more serious and it was a reminder that he was in the same situation as everyone else. Skye remembered him saying he’d hope he could learn how to ride a bike, how he missed his cat at home, how his parents worked two jobs so, like Skye, he didn’t have a lot of family visitors.

Skye found the pen tucked into the corner of the box. She picked it up, looking around at the various pieces now scattered on the marble floor. She gave the scattered pieces one last look over before carefully tucking them back into the box and pushing it under the bed. Skye let out a sigh, laying back against the marble and looking up at the high ceiling. Thinking about her time in the hospital made her feel strange. A weird sense of something. It was like a cross being nostalgia and guilt. Her mind always brought her back to a recurring thought.

_ You were supposed to die there. _

She had been so prepared for it as well. Her parents and doctors seemed to prep her for the possibility with pitied looks or impatience in the case of her parents. But then… it didn’t happen. Now Skye sat on the floor of her room thinking about this life of hers that she wasn’t sure how to navigate. She couldn’t comprehend the future like Ajay could. She struggled on setting goals like Ajay had suggested to her. What should be her plan? How did she want to spend her life and who did she want to be?

It was much too deep for right that moment. Skye sat up with a sigh, shaking off her thoughts as Brian’s music queued up from the home gym. After a moment of thought Skye pushed herself up and headed outside her room and down the hall to the gym. The sickeningly horrible rock music her brother insisted on listening to grew louder until Skye stood at the open doorway. Brain was taking selfies in the wall mirror he insisted on setting up. He frowned when he noticed Skye in the doorway.

“What do you want, freak?”

“What do you want to do after high school?”

Skye kept it to the point, simply because the best way to talk to her brother was to ask him about himself. That was usually the only topic he spared a moment of his precious time to talk to Skye about. Brian, always the narcissist, smiled at the question.

“Become a celebrity, obviously. I’m gonna ride high on a football scholarship to Notre Dame and become a pro player and live large in my own mansion filled with girls in bikinis.”

“So, you don’t want to take over the company?”

Brain frowned at that, “hell no, that’s so boring. I’ll hire some shmuch to do all the work for me and rake in the money. Maybe I’ll even hire you if you’re nice to me.”

“No thanks,” Skye wrinkled her nose, “you can have my share. I doubt I’m included in mom and dad’s plan anyway.”

“Care to take your pity party elsewhere? Some of us are doing important things besides crying in the dark.” 

“Yeah, whatever,” Skye shrugged and turned to leave, closing the door behind her to drain out some of the lousy music. 

Sometimes Skye wondered why she even bothered with her brother. It wasn’t like the two of them really knew each other. Brian almost never came with their parents on the small chance they came to visit her in the hospital. She was basically a stranger that moved into the house after she was given a clean bill of health. Skye would admit that when she was younger, she really wanted her and her brother to get along. But her brother was cruel and played horrid pranks on her or bullied her to no end. Her parents brushed all of it off and that was in part why the fight at Hearst happened. The two didn’t know how to live with each other, they were constantly at each other’s throats, even on the off chance they weren’t fighting in that moment.

Skye sighed as she closed her bedroom door, sliding into her desk chair to focus on something more productive then her failed relationship with her brother. The second poster was almost done, it had become relaxing to just sit down and draw in the remaining details.

The poster featured a fully detailed Magic Kingdom set with Bailey’s portrait in the front, followed by Rory and Danielle’s portraits farther back. Danielle’s blending into the darkness of the background and Rory’s shadowed behind Bailey. Skye spent too many nights agonizing over the little details of the portraits. Bailey’s however was especially challenging. They weren’t realistic portraits per-say, more like a stylized portrait, which already made Skye nervous, what if Bailey didn’t like the style Skye had drawn her in, or what if Bailey didn’t like the way her eyes looked, or the way her nose looked or just overall didn’t like the portrait?

When Skye pictured Bailey in her mind’s eye, she could see the girl’s features clearly. Her bright green eyes, her long blonde hair that was usually pulled out of her face. 

Skye thought back on Erin’s words to her, how the older girl kept repeating that Skye cared about Bailey. And then when Ajay brought it up… was it strange? That Skye found herself caring about Bailey? In a few short weeks, the girl had managed to become something important to Skye. Skye found herself thinking about her a lot. She appears randomly in her thoughts while Skye had a bad day or if Skye was tapping away at math homework or if Skye was working on anything Theatre related. The girl would grace her mind with her usual warm presence.

… Did Skye like her?

It was hard to tell. The only point of reference Skye had of any romantic feelings was her previous relationship with Lilith… and that was more convince than anything else. Skye had been lonely and Lilith was nice to her. It could have just been Skye falling back onto old habits and maybe she only felt this way because Bailey was nice to her.

But Bailey was different. Bailey was at least trying to open up to Skye in ways Lilith hadn't. Bailey was to this point honest with Skye and hadn't just said something because she thought it was what Skye wanted to hear. Bailey's warmth, her smile, the way she talked to Skye and was there for her was very different from Lilith.

Skye sighed as she leaned back in her chair. Bailey was too good for her, she should accept it now. And even if Bailey denied it earlier, she really would be better with someone like Rory. Someone more put together. Someone who has a better idea of normalcy. Someone who can already make Bailey smile effortlessly.

Skye wished there was a way she could make Bailey smile everyday. Even in those days her smile seemed more forced and her eyes held more darkness. Was it something so foolish to want? Even if Bailey didn’t feel the same way about her, it would be enough if Skye could make her happy, even if it was just a little dusting of happiness.

Skye knew, looking back on everything, that she had to work on herself like Ajay had said. It wouldn’t be fair to Bailey to keep throwing things onto her whenever Skye got sad. It was one of the reasons Skye found herself putting together the grounding box to begin with. Then she could work on setting goals like Ajay said.

She just wasn’t sure what kind of goals to set. Or even if she had an idea of what she wanted in the future. Did anyone really know? 

***

Like most rehearsal days, Ajay is the first person Skye comes across. They tended to be the first two in the theatre room before the rest of the club got there. When she asked him what he planned to do after high school, his features immediately took on a surprised look.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

Skye had been curious since she started thinking about her own goal list the previous night. It was hard for her to look into the future since it was always something that she assumed she wouldn’t have. So it was strange thinking of all the possibilities that lie in front of her. She had thought that asking Ajay and Rory might help her get a grasp on how far ahead she could think.

“Well, I’d like to go to a school with a good theatre and playwriting program. There’s a few colleges in California I’ve been looking into and I’ve thought about going to New York University. I’d like to write and produce my own plays. If that didn’t work out, I’d like to become an author,” Ajay explained with a smile as he looked over his notes from last rehearsal. Skye nodded as she shadowed him towards the stage as a few other cast members trickled in, “Do we have the prop swords ready to go for the sword fight scene between Rory and Danielle?”

“Yeah, I repainted them yesterday so they should be dried and ready,” Skye nodded and headed off to grab the props from their drying rack backstage. As she walked through the array of speakers and prop pieces setting up she passed Rory stepping out of the dressing room in their knight costume.

“Hiya Skye,” Rory greeted as they walked up with a smile, “whatcha up to?”

“Getting props for today’s scene. Hey, what are you going to do after high school?”

“Oh, ah, well don’t laugh okay.” Rory took a breath, “I’d like to become an actress on Broadway someday, but recently I’ve been doing a lot of volunteering at the hospital where my mom goes for treatment and I’ve been thinking of becoming a nurse and working to help patients dealing with cancer and similar illnesses.”

“Is that why you help with the support group?”

“Yeah, I mean, my mom has a degree in psychology and worked with kids for years before I came along so it made sense to help with that too so I could kinda learn what it’s like working with different kinds of people.”

Skye nodded a little awkwardly. Rory, despite any strange feelings she had when they and Bailey were together, was a really good person. 

“Why do you ask?”

Skye looked up at the question, watching as Rory patiently waited for the response with a kind smile on their face.

“I was curious… Ajay said something about setting goals and I guess I’m trying to figure out how to do that.”

Rory nodded, thinking for a second.

“I get that. So, what do you want to do when you graduate?”

“I don’t know,” Skye answered honestly, “I’ve never thought about it.”

“Never?”

“I wasn’t exactly supposed to live this long to begin with,” Skye muttered as she kicked the ground a little with the toe of her boot, “sorry, but I never really thought much past middle school.”

“Well, you have an entire life ahead of you now,” Rory offered gently, “what do you want to do with it? It doesn’t have to be something big, what’s something you never got to do, but what to?”

Skye fell silent, thinking for a moment. What were things normal kids did? What were things that Brian did that Skye wasn’t able to do. Skye couldn’t really place any of Brian’s hobbies as a kid, since they had never really spent any time together during her long stays in the hospital, and even when she was home, he usually had things to do and never spent a lot of time with her… There was one thing though that Skye knew every other kid had to have done.

“I never learned how to ride a bike.”

“Really? I can teach you! It’ll be fun.” Rory flashed a thumbs up, “next?”

“Uhhh,” Skye thought, “I’ve never craved a pumpkin before? I hear people do that for Halloween?”

“Yeah! Oh, we can invite Bailey and Ajay. Bailey’s mom has the best recipe for roasting the pumpkin seeds after we open them up and pull the guts out!”

“I’ve never-” Skye thought for a second, Bailey’s face flashing through her head, “cooked something for someone else.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Rory cooed as Skye looked away from them, “see? You have three new goals right there to get you started. And I can help you, Ajay too, if you need anything or if you just want to talk, you can come to one of us, okay?”

Skye nodded as Ajay called for the actors to take the stage. Rory flashed a wink as they walked towards Ajay’s voice. Skye turned to retrieve the props when something crashed into her shoulder. Skye stumbled back a step before looking up to apologize to whoever she walked into.

“Don’t think you’re anything special,” Danielle’s voice cut her off, “just because Rory spends a few minutes feeling sorry for you.”

With a flip of black hair and a glare, Danielle sashayed over to the front of the stage as Skye rubbed her shoulder.

"What was that about?"

Erin asked as she walked over, eyeing Danielle as she disappeared around the curtain.

"Dunno, don't really care either," Skye snorted, "if she cares so much about who Rory talks to she should see Rory about it."

"Typical Danielle," Erin sighed, "try to ignore her, she acts that way with every new face Rory befriends. She eventually backs off."

"Anyway to expedite the process?"

"Sorry, it usually just runs its course. Come see me though if she doesn't back off, I'll talk to her."

Skye nodded as Erin walked over to join the rest of the actors on stage. Skye turned back to the task at hand, grabbing the prop swords and taking them back up to Ajay. As she slipped around the curtain, Ajay was still going over the energy he wanted expressed in the scene. Danielle tossed a glare her way, leaning closer in Rory's direction as if staking claim to the other teen.

"We're going to go over prop safety today as well. No one is to get hurt on my stage, understand?"

Ajay's glare swept over the row of actors before he turned to Skye to take the swords. A smile lit up his face as he examined the old props.

"They look great, the new coat gives them an aged reinsurance look, nice job."

Ajay's face went back to glaring as he turned back to the actors.

"Do not hit each other."

"Or the set," Skye added loudly, "if I see any chipped paint, you'll wish Ajay kicked you off the set."

Natalie and Clint yelp out that they understood as Ajay and Rory chuckled a bit.

"Alright, no damage to the set or suffer," Rory added with a salute as Danielle rolled her eyes.

"I second that, do not make me catch anyone hitting the set pieces, or there will be consequences."

Ajay gave them one final look before releasing them to take their places for the first scene. Skye turned to take her place at the light and sound boards, noticing a familiar face seated near the station.

"Hey"

Green eyes looked up from her math book with a smile as Skye drew closer.

"Hey."

"How's your ankle?"

"Better, Ajay made sure I wasn't in a scene today so I wouldn't be on it. I can walk on it fine but it aches after a while. Rory’s my ride home so I thought I’d stay for rehearsal anyway."

Bailey smiled as she turned back to her book, her pencil moved across the paper as Skye took her seat at the boards. Skye queued up the lights for the scene as Ajay moved off the stage and the actors took their places. Skye watched Bailey twist her pencil in her hands for a few seconds, an obviously saddened look as she watched Rory and Danielle perform on stage. Since they were focusing mainly on choreography, there wasn’t much for Skye to do at the moment besides watch and keep notes of what Ajay yelled up to her in terms of lighting ideas or effects. 

“Hey Bailey, you said Danielle wanted your role in the play, right?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, She really wanted the Princess role in the play, so when I was cast I offered to switch with her, but Ajay wouldn’t allow it,” Bailey explained as she turned in her seat to face Skye, “I think it’s because Danielle likes Rory. They went to Homecoming together, and Danielle… tried to make a move on Rory and Rory turned her down. So I guess she just gets jealous of anyone who Rory spends time with who’s not her.”

“I thought so,” Skye muttered as she rolled her eyes, “she was upset Rory and I were talking backstage.”

“Really? Usually she only goes after me.”

“Does she do that kind of thing with Natalie and Clint too?” Skye asked as she caughts sight of the two ogling Rory from stage left. 

“Actually, no, I’ve never seen her do anything to them, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen,” Bailey looked over as well, “maybe she leaves them alone because they’re more a fan club then a legitimate crush?”

_ Or maybe because Rory likes you. _ Skye thought as she hummed.

“Does Rory know? That Danielle’s doing these things behind their back?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t know how to tell them either.” Bailey let out a sigh, “Danielle and Rory have been friends for a while. So I’m not sure I have any place to try to get between that. And I’m not sure what more Rory can do. She already turned Danielle down at homecoming, if that’s not enough me getting involved any more will only make it worse.”

Skye nodded a bit, turning back to the stage to see the actors take a short break. Danielle is quick to take up Rory’s time as they talk. Danielle placed a hand on Rory’s arm for a second as they spoke, her smile a bit more sincere than Skye had ever seen it. With everything Rory talked about doing earlier, it was sure to only get more dramatic with Danielle involved.

_ Fantastic _ Skye rolled her eyes a bit, leaning back in the chair. She glanced back over to Bailey as the girl hummed to herself a little.

“Hey Skye?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you want to do after high school?”

“Huh?”

“Sorry, I heard you asking Ajay earlier, I guess I got curious.”

“Right, well, I don’t know,” Skye sighed a bit, “I don’t know what I want to do, so I thought asking Ajay and Rory would give me an idea of what I think I’d want.”

“Did it?”

“... Yes and no. It’s complicated, at least it feels like it is. Everyone has an idea of what they want to do with their lives, even if it’s just a little bit. Or they have a direction they want to explore, but I can’t really think of anything I want to do.”

“I think you’re worrying a bit early,” Bailey smiled gently, “We’re in high school, we’ve got time to try things and figure it out. It all starts with finding things that you like. Like… you like making sets and drawing, maybe your passion is in art. Or architecture. Or maybe it’s in coding or special effects like the sound and light boards.”

“I wasn’t even aware those things were options,” Skye grumbled, “my parents only care about whoever takes over the company, they couldn’t care less what I did as long as it didn’t make them look bad.”

Bailey suddenly appeared in the seat beside her and Skye had to think for a minute if she even noticed the other girl stand and make her way over.

“You should find something you love and go for it. Whether it’s what you want to do for the rest of your life professionally or if it’s just a hobby that makes you happy.”

“What about you? Do you have a plan for the future?”

“Other than not tripping on stage during our opening night?” Bailey asked with a little laugh, “I guess I thought a lot about taking over the Golden Griddle one day. Maybe if I become a good enough cook I can compete on one of those amatur cooking shows.”

There’s a weird note of sadness in Bailey’s voice. Skye frowned a bit as sorrow lingered the usually happy girl’s tone.

“I think you’d win easily if you ever decided to compete.”

Bailey laughed easily, shaking her head.

“I think you’re basis,”

“Why? Because you willingly feed me? I don’t see how that would make me partial to you in any way.”

“I know you by now, you’re being sarcastic.”

“I’m  _ always _ sarcastic,” Skye rolled her eyes, “that’s my secret.”

Bailey’s smile brightened a little, her green eyes sparkled with the smallest hint of mischief.

“Careful, I might learn more of your secrets.”

_ I hope you do. _

Skye felt herself thinking before she could stop herself. Bailey was the first person Skye ever wanted to know all the secrets she locked away, all the dark corners infested with shadows, because part of her wanted to believe that if Bailey could be that person who added light to them, then the darkness wouldn’t be so unbearable. Bailey knew chunks, pieces of Skye that she had never willingly shared with another person, and Bailey was still there. Still smiling at her without traces of pity or resentment. Everything about Bailey was welcoming and gentle. Just like the day they met. It was nice having someone consistent in her life.

Right now, she was smiling because of Skye, because of something Skye said. And that feeling of being the reason for Bailey’s bright smile, was one of the best feelings in the world to Skye.

"I want to master all one hundred ways to cook an egg," Bailey added with a dorky smile, "it's the true mark of a good cook."

"...there are a hundred ways to cook an egg?"

Bailey laughed, full and honest, the sound effectively disturbed the rehearsal on the stage below. Bailey covered her mouth as Ajay looked up with raised eyebrows.

"Glad you two are having fun up there," Ajay's voice sounded like he was trying to sound more annoyed then he was. 

"Sorry Ajay!"

"Shouldn't the actors not get distracted?" Skye teased back, causing Bailey to look over at her like she was crazy. Ajay crossed his arms and smirked.

"Good point, take it from the top."

Danielle shot a glare their way as she turned to step back to her first position. Skye snickered as Bailey smacked her arm.

"Stop poking the bear!"

"Please, I've gone toe to toe with bigger bears."

Bailey sighed and leaned back in her chair. The two fell into a comfortable silence while Danielle and Rory redid the scene on stage. Bailey watched over Skye’s shoulder as she adjusted the lights as the scene went on, testing out some of the special effects she had come up with for The Witch’s spells, earning a small nod from Ajay as he watched from his place near the front of the stage. Bailey leaned in closer, enough so that Skye almost immediately became distracted by the familiar scent of her shampoo and warmth of her body closer to hers.

“You’re wearing your hair down again.” Skye pointed out awkwardly. Bailey blinked and ran a hand through her hair.

“Yeah, is that weird? I’ve been wanting to try something new with my hair lately,” Bailey’s fingertips played with the ends of her long blonde hair, “I’ve thought about dying it too, but that can wait until after the show. I think Ajay would throw a fit if I dyed my hair now.”

“I think he’d make me recolor all the sketches I did for the posters.”

“Probably. I’ve just been really feeling in a rut lately, I thought maybe trying out some new things would help me,” Bailey’s voice got quieter as she talked, “I didn’t forget about promising to tell you everything. I really meant it, I want to tell you, and I want to be able to get strong enough to do that.”

“You don’t owe me anything,”

“I know… it’s just… you’re one of the few people who I’m friends with who doesn’t know. In a way, it’s been great. You look out for me like a normal friend would. But we’re not normal are we?” Bailey said, “At least I don’t think I’m normal.”

“You’re talking to the socially awkward outcast who spent most of their life in a hospital with minimal socialization with other people. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m still trying to figure out if it’s cool if I tell you I like your shampoo. It seems like Gushers.”

“I think it’s kinda charming,” Bailey smiled shyly, looking away a little at Skye’s attempt to make Bailey feel better with some good ol’ fashion self-deprecation, “you say what you want. It’s refreshing. You only seem awkward when you try to prove how awkward you are, otherwise you normally just look really cool.”

Skye felt her face grow warm at the comment, she turned away slightly so Bailey wouldn’t turn back and see it.

“My mom gets it from Target,” Bailey said awkwardly, “the shampoo, it’s technically a tropical fruit scent, but yeah, it does smell more like Gushers.”

“That’s a wrap,” Ajay called to the actors as they finished their scene. There’s a light round of cheering from Rory as they step off stage. Ajay shook his head as techs and actors started getting ready to leave. The actors barely have time to celebrate before Natalie and Clint came running into the auditorium.

“Guys! You’ll never guess what happened,” Clint yelled excitedly as he bent over to catch his breath, “we got an invite to Amber Hutchinson’s Halloween party.”

“Doesn’t everyone get invited to that?” Danielle asked, “She invites the entire school to every party she throws.”

“But, it’s her  _ Halloween _ party! It’s ranked up there with Brian Crandall’s parties when he used to be a student here.”

The only reason anyone would attend any party Brian threw was because it was at their large house with their fancy pool and large basement. Even people who didn’t like Brian would show up to his parties just to take advantage of the large house.

“We should all go, it would be a nice way to advertise the play,” Rory offered as they walked over, “Maybe if we talk to Amber, she’ll let us promote a little.”

“That isn’t a terrible idea,” Ajay hummed to himself, “It would help us get in front of more people from Berry and fill the seats. If Jordan’s going he could really help as well.”

“Plus it would be a nice break from all the work we’ve done on the play so far.”

“I bet if we talked to Amber, we could make a deal with her, maybe get her to shine a little spotlight on the theatre club,” Danielle mused, “we should go talk to her. Rory, come with me, we might need your charm to win her over.”

“Okay! We’ll keep the rest of you guys posted.”

“Great, as soon as you get a chance to talk to Amber, let us know.”

Ajay nodded as the other theatre kids started talking in excited tones. Skye turned to Bailey to see the girl fidgeting nervously.

“Skye, are the new posters almost ready? It would be nice to have them for the party.”

“Yeah, I’ll have the final done for next rehearsal.”

“Great! I can get it all set and print a bunch then,” Erin added with a smile.

Skye sighed, turning back to Bailey as she tried to busy herself with her phone.

“Can I get your opinion on the poster?”

“Yeah! Of course,” Bailey smiled as Skye leaned over to grab her sketchbook from her bag. She flipped through the pages of less liked sketches until she got to the finished inked drawing that she had spent almost every night since the preview drawing. Skye held her breath as she passed it over to Bailey, looking away and playing with the ends of her hair as soon as Bailey took the drawing. There’s silence between them for a few seconds.

“...It’s me?”

“Yeah, sorry it’s really weird. I can redo it if you hate it.”

“No… I really like it,” Bailey’s voice was gentle as Skye chanced a look up at the other girl, “actually, I may have to take one home for my mom, she’ll go crazy when she sees it.”

“So, you like it? It’s not weird?”

“Skye,” Bailey laughed a bit, one of her hands reaching over to rest a hand on Skye’s forearm, “it’s not weird, it’s amazing. You’re a talented artist. This poster is amazing.”

Bailey’s hand gave Skye’s arm a gentle squeeze. Her eyes soft as her words ricocheted around Skye’s skull for a second before her face felt warm under Bailey’s steady gaze. For a second, it was like they were the only two in the auditorium, until Rory’s voice echoed loudly,

“Ready to go Bailey?” 

Bailey jumped a bit, an apologetic look coming to her face as she handed back the drawing.

“I guess I have to head out, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Skye felt herself smile a little before she could stop herself. Bailey grabbed her bag and limped slightly over to Rory, who waited eagerly. Skye watched as Bailey flashed a smile to Rory before the two started talking animatedly on their way out the door. After they were gone, Skye felt herself stare at the space.

“You and Bailey look to be getting along a lot better,” Skye turned to see Erin smiling over at her. 

“Yeah, we’re all good now.”

“That’s good,” Erin’s smile turned a little bigger, a little more knowing, “I think you two look cute together.”

“What-we… We’re just friends.” Skye stammered out as her face turned red. Erin chuckled a little, leaning back onto the row of seats behind her.

“Really, because it looks like you two really have something going on there.”

“Really. We’re just friends.”

It wasn’t like she stayed up at night thinking about her. She wasn’t sure how Erin got the idea in her head that the two would be more than friends.

***

It’s 2 am and Skye’s thinking about Bailey. She didn’t mean to but… it had been a rough evening with her parents and thinking about Bailey just… calmed her down. Bailey just had that aura, or maybe it was just an energy about her that made people feel better. 

“... you’re an idiot,” Skye muttered to herself as she tried to bury her head farther into the over plush pillows her mother had insisted on, “you like her.”

Now what was she supposed to do? 

***

Skye gave the sketch to Erin for her to add the logos and finalize the next morning. The older girl assured her that she would get it finished and would hand it off to Ajay. As Skye turned to head back to her locker, she caught sight of Rory and Danielle talking by the lockers. Rory saw her first, raising their hand in greeting before saying something quickly to Danielle before jogging over at their usually happy pace. 

“Hey Skye,” Rory greeted as they stopped a few feet in front of her, “I have some time tonight, did you want to meet in the park and have a quick bike lesson?”

Skye blinked, she had almost forgotten about their conversation yesterday. 

“Sure.”

“Great! Meet me by the fountain at seven?”

Skye nodded as the warning bell rang. Rory grinned and headed off to their next class, Danielle lagged behind, shooting Skye a glare for a moment as she passed. Skye shook her head and started towards her class. She caught sight of what looked like a girl from her computer science class scurrying over to slip a piece of paper into Rory’s locker before scurrying away.

Clint and Natalie had mentioned Rory getting secret admirer letters before, and Rory got one during rehearsal. 

_ “If someone wrote me a secret admirer letter I’d read it.”  _

Bailey’s voice echoed through her head for a moment. A secret admirer… Skye scoffed at the thought as soon as it bloomed in her head, it sounded so stupid.

But… would Bailey like it? 

Skye felt her mind wander during History, it sounded so pathetic, writing letters to Bailey in secret to deal with her pinning. But, if they made Bailey happy, would it be worth doing? What if she sent a trial letter, just to see how Bailey would react to the letters? If Bailey hated it, Skye would stop. But if they made her smile, then it would be worth the effort to write Bailey something occasionally.

***

Rory was… determined in ways that were almost irritating. 

“I’m surprised you want to do this so soon,” Skye mused as Rory handed her the helmet eagerly as Skye walked up. It was already dark, the part empty except for the occasional car driving down the otherwise empty street. Rory had been waiting where she told Skye she would be, old blue bike next to them and helmet in their hands.

“I guess I’ve just really needed a distraction lately… so thank you for agreeing to come out tonight.”

Rory rattled off a quick checklist of things that Skye would need to know. How to balance, how to stop, how to turn. After a quick runthrough they pat the seat of the bike. Skye let out a half-hearted sigh before sitting on the bike. The first few laps around the park, Rory held to the back of the bike as it shook and jerked at Skye’s nervous movements.

“Don’t think too much, just let the bike do it’s thing. Focus on keeping speed and turning.”

“Why do kids enjoy this?” Skye grumbled as she went back to petaling, as she went a little faster she got better at keeping herself upright. After a few more minutes she felt Rory let go, letting her go by herself down the long side of the rectangle they had been practicing in.

“You’re doing great!” Rory called as they clapped their hands. 

Skye had to admit, it was a little cool. Kinda like ice skating with the wind in her hair. Except she was on a much bigger contraption with wheels. Despite Skye’s usually grumping exterior… this was fun. In a strange way, like something she had been deprived of for so long and was finally getting to do, even if she hadn’t known she wanted to do it.

“...How do I turn again? Wait-nevermind I did it!”

Rory chuckled as Skye gave in to the small part of her that wanted to give in to her inner child. Skye did a few more laps by herself in the dark of the park.

“So, Ajay’s going to make an announcement tomorrow, but Danielle and I talked to Amber about the play and she’s letting us do some promotion during her Halloween party,” Rory said as Skye rode around them, “she’s letting us put up some posters and promote to the guests. I was thinking everyone should wear their costume from the play, but Ajay’s worried some of the costumes will get ruined if we do that.”

“What does Sydney say?” Skye asked as her circle got smaller around Rory, “Also, you never showed me how to stop.”

“Oh, sorry, slow down the bike a little and then pedal backwards to stop.”

“Pedal backward?”

“Yes ma’am. I haven’t asked Sydney yet, she’s been busy with cheer. I’m thinking she’s going to have some issues with it too since a lot of the costumes are custom and won’t easily be replaced if we ruin them.”

“What if everyone wore different costumes? Like you wear a knight costume that’s not the same as the one you’re using for the play. Like a ringer costume.”

“Not a bad idea, but this late into October and the Halloween store is probably slim pickings by now. I hear everyone is buying costumes for that new mobile game that got popular all of a sudden.”

Rory thought for a moment, watching Skye still move around, “Are you having a problem stopping.”

“The method sounds flawed.”

“Hey, don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall, pull up closer to me and give it a try. Slow and then stop.”

“You said pedal backward.”

“Well yeah, you pedal backward to stop.”

“Still sounds fake.”

“Have a little faith, I won’t let you fall,” Rory assured, “pretty sure Ajay would have my head for hurting his new favorite tech. Bailey too since you’re basically attached at the hip these days.”

There was something off about Rory’s voice that made Skye less likely to believe that they would actually catch her if she fell. Skye sighed, at the very least the ground couldn’t hurt nearly as much as falling on ice right?

Skye did as Rory instructed, pulling around closer and thinking through her stopping method. Rory jogging close next to the bike.

“Ok, now slow down the bike.”

Skye slowed her pedalling a little.

“Good, not stop by pedalling backward.”

Skye reversed her pedaling suddenly, causing a jerked stop before the bike slowly began to tip to the side. To their credit, Rory had caught the seat of the bike before Skye would submit to her fate of falling onto the ground.

"You usually put one foot on the ground when you stop to keep from tipping over."

"That wasn't in the instructions."

"I know, I know, but I caught you as promised." 

That was fair. Rory had kept their promise.

"Let's try the stop a few more times, then we can call it a night."

Skye obeyed, starting and stopping the bike a few more times until she got the stopping motion correct a few times in a row.

"You're a natural, how does it feel? You can officially check that off your to do list."

"It's pretty cool actually," Skye offered as she hopped off the bike and handed it back to Rory with the helmet, "though, I'm not sure if it will become my go to travel method."

"That's fine, the important part was learning."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they walked out of the park and began down the street together. Rory hummed thoughtfully for a few minutes.

"Thanks for coming out tonight, it gave me a chance to clear my head," Rory smiled, "and I got to learn a little more about you."

"Other than how I couldn't ride a bike?"

"I guess with how often Bailey talks about you, all good things of course, I got curious as to what kind of person you are. But it seems her description was pretty spot on."

Skye perked up at the mention of Bailey's name and the added info that Bailey talked about her frequently. There's a lingering fear in the back of her head for a moment as the two wait to cross the street.

"Bailey doesn't usually make friends that fast, so you two really surprised me," Rory added quietly, looking forward as they spoke, “I think it’s good Bailey feels comfortable enough to open up to you.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it that,” Skye admitted.

Rory doesn’t get a chance to answer as a familiar face crossed paths with them on the sidewalk.

“Oh, Rory, I just stopped by your place. I found some tea I thought your mom would like.”

Danielle strode up with her usual vindictive flare, she moved up to Rory with a smile that reminded Skye of how her mother smiled on camera during business dinners.

“Sorry, Skye and I were at the park.”

Danielle spared a half-hearted glare in Skye’s direction, The glare disappeared once she turned back to Rory.

“I can see that. Hey, is it cool if I borrow you tomorrow at lunch? Amber’s really excited about the play now and wanted to meet at lunch to go over some promotional ideas. I kinda need a buffer for talking to her.”

“Yeah, no problem!”

“Mind if I walk you home? I had some ideas. I wanted to get your thoughts on some of the ideas to propose to her.”

“Oh I-”

“It’s cool,” Skye intervened before Rory could give an answer, “I can walk from here. See you tomorrow.”

“See you later Skye!”

***

This is the most ridiculous thing Skye has ever obsessed over. First it was the paper, Skye had spent an hour looking through all the stationary cards her mother kept on hand and had snuck out of her mom’s office with a pack of four by six cards with sunflowers decorating the border. She then spent another few hours trying to think of something not-creepy to write onto the card. 

It led her to standing just outside Bailey’s locker thirty minutes before school started with her folded note, silently happy that her mother used to insist on her having “nice” handwriting and making her practice calligraphy and script for so many years. The first question was what should it be? A quote? A poem? Something sappy and sweet, or something more direct? 

Skye sucked at poetry, despite her goth being she couldn’t string words together to save her life. A quote from a musical might be too obvious, there needed to be some mystery to this otherwise Bailey would figure out it was her. The final product felt like a work of pure awkwardness.

At the very last second, Skye crumbled the note in her hands, resorting to tossing the abomination into the trash can as she walked away.

***

"Alright troops, Amber's Party is this Saturday and we need to prepare. We need to be charming and charismatic to win the hearts of our fellow tigers-"

"Why Saturday? Isn't Halloween next week?" Ajay asked interrupting Rory's pep talk to the other theatre kids at their usual lunch table.

"Halloween is Tuesday this year so Cedar Cove pushed trick or treating back to Saturday, so that's when Amber is having the party," Rory said before turning back to the rest of the actors, " _ as I was saying _ , to win the hearts of our fellow Tigers and sell as many seats as possible for the Fall Production!"

Clint and Natalie cheered at Rory's speech while Ajay only rolled his eyes before clumsily typing on his phone. 

"This is going to be so cool!"

The theatre kids chatted among each other, gushing about the party and how many pools Amber had and whether or not an ice sculpture would be part of the decor. The only person as unenthusiastic about the party as Skye was seemed to be Bailey, who was paying more attention to the steamed carrots on her lunch tray then the conversation at the table.

"No comments from the anti-party side of the table," Rory teased as they noticed Skye and Bailey's lack of interest. Skye only shrugged.

"Parties aren't really my thing. Brian throws them all the time. It’s usually the same loud music, way too many people, and horrid dancing."

"Yes, Skye, what you just described is a party." Danielle added with a bit of snark, "you don't need to come, Rory has all the charisma and charm needed to help us sell tickets."

"You should come Skye, then Ajay will have someone to ironically brood in the corner with."

Ajay looked up at his name, quickly removing the little smile that had formed on his face from texting whoever had his attention on his phone. After a second he nodded.

"I need at least one other sane person to keep me sane… so please don’t leave me alone with them."

Ajay gestured to the rest of the theatre kids, Rory quickly faked a gasp as Ajay gestured pointedly to them.

"You'll come too, right Bailey?" Ajay asked, ignoring Rory's mock offended glare, "I need as big of a buffer as I can get."

Bailey let out a low chuckle, glancing Skye's way for a second.

"Okay, but only if I get Skye as a buffer for when Amber comes around."

"Wait, what?"

"Deal," Ajay smiled and leaned over the table to shake Bailey's hand as if they closed a business deal. Skye looked between them and shook her head.

"It'll be fun," Bailey offered quietly as the warning bell for their next class rang, "I'll even save you a dance."

Her voice was only half teasing. The other half nervous as her face took on a slightly pink color. Within a second Bailey headed out to her next class, the subtle smell of Gushers left in her wake.

***

I'm retrospect Skye should have been more excited about going to a Halloween party. Based on her normal attire it could be assumed that Skye would be more into Halloween, but Skye had a very baseline reaction to holidays in general. Halloween was only a favorite because it was one of the few holidays her parents wouldn't drag her anywhere. They usually went out to some adult business wine party, leaving Skye and Brian to do whatever they wanted. In Brian's case it was to throw a party, in Skye's case it was usually binging horror movies until either her parents showed up or someone called the cops on Brian's party.

Amber's bright pink Halloween party invite was more frightening than any horror movie. The thing was covered in glitter and sparkles like a mad woman had put it together. Costumes were highly encouraged, so Skye had pulled out her black skinny jeans and red sweater to throw together a makeshift vampire look complete with vampire fangs Skye impulse bought last year during a Halloween clearance sale. They were reusable, custom fitted to her, and She had scared the hell out of Brian after she had finished molding them the first time.

Skye put on the fangs over her K9 teeth and slipped the case in her pocket. Brian's party started in an hour, meaning she had twenty minutes to book it before his rowdy football buddies got here. Skye grabbed her black leather jacket and jumped into her combat boots before rushing out the door while Brian was in the kitchen trying to seduce someone into coming to the party. It must have been a bad time as Skye heard his seducing quickly turn to an impending temper tantrum as she struck out.

The Hutchinson family lived several streets away in a quieter area of Cedar Cove. Skye barely recalled being there only once when her family was invited to a business dinner there. Her parents decided the Hutchinson’s real estate business wasn’t worth their time rather quickly and they hadn’t gone into business with them, instead opting to strike a deal with the Jennings Family. Her father had hit it off well with Jim Jennings, a high school principal and ex-military officer who made some very smart investments causing him and his family to be on almost equal ground with the Crandall family.

Her father brought him up often, usually going on golfing trips with him. If it weren’t for Jenning’s insistence that his son not date until after he’s accepted into the Air Force Academy, Skye was sure her father would have sold her soul to them to stay in their good graces.

The house was decorated with pink pumpkins when Skye walked up, classic Halloween music played through the open windows as coeds danced and sung inside dressed in a mixed assortment of costumes. A taller jock was standing by the door as she walked in, wearing gold gym shorts and completely painted in gold body paint. He struck a few superhero-esque poses with a few other caped costume wearers, turning at the sound of someone entering the house before flashing a dopey grin.

“Sup little dude, welcome to the party. Amber-banana-pudding-pop’s not here right now but she wanted me to greet the guests while she was gone.”

The guy quickly turned to the next few people, greeting them in a similar fashion as Skye glanced around to see if she could spot any of the theatre kids. The main dance area was set up in one of the larger areas next to the oversized kitchen. A bunch of teens were cheering on someone in an inflatable dinosaur costume break-dancing in the center of a human circle. Off to the side, Skye spotted Ajay watching with a look that screamed his soul was leaving his body. Skye couldn’t tell what Ajay was dressed as, he wore black pants and a white button up shirt under a red vest covered by a large brown jacket. A bowler had rested on his head and his face was devoid of all emotion.

“Hey,” Skye walked up to the taller teen who looked over at her grimly before going back to his drink, “having fun?”

“Like a prisoner ready for execution,” Ajay grumbled, “I wasn’t expecting everyone to go wild. I was waiting on the pool table to clear for a game, but then-”

Ajay gestured at the dancing dinosaur.

“I guess they really know how to party.” Skye shrugged, not thinking much about it until Ajay turned to her with a grim expression.

“Who do you think’s in the dinosaur suit?”

Skye raised an eyebrow looking over to the circle just in time to see the floppy inflated dinosaur head snap to their direction. In a few seconds the prophecy had been fulfilled as the tiny arms outstretched into their direction and a familiar voice echoed through the large, crowded room.

“HI SKYE!”

“Dear god no.”

The inflated dinosaur scuttled over at lightning speed, head flopping in every direction as a few stunned party goers moved out of the way at the sight of the dinosaur running through the crowd and up to Skye and Ajay.

“You’re here! And all decked out Carmilla-style, I like it.” 

Rory bopped Skye in the head with the head of the dinosaur as the redhead tried to back away, only to feel Ajay’s hand at her shoulder, using her as a human shield.

_ Traitor _

At closer inspection Skye could better see Rory’s face through the face shield in the dinosaur’s neck as well as the black Magic Kingdom T-shirt similar to the ones they wore at the 5K. 

“So, is everyone else here too?”

“Oh yeah, Clint and Natalie are in the Triceratops.”

“I’m not gonna ask.”

“Jordan and Micheal were around too, I think they were checking out the buffet. Sydney was with the cheerleaders, Trevor was losing a game of ping pong, a few of the techs were in the gaming room, and I think Bailey disappeared with Amber? Erin was hanging out with some volleyball buddies. I think the only person we’re missing is Danielle, she said she’d be a little late.”

Skye nodded shifting a bit as Rory’s gaze turned to Ajay, the motion emphasized by the movement of the dinosaur head.

“What are you dressed up as Ajay?”

“Vladimir from  _ Waiting For Godot.  _ It’s one of my favorite short plays _.”  _ Ajay explained as Skye slipped away and headed towards the kitchen to see if she could catch sight of Bailey. There were crowds of people in various costumes ranging from classic grim reapers and dead cheerleaders to multi colored space suits and pop culture references. As Skye walked around, she idly looked for Bailey or Amber. Amber was usually a loud presence, so she might be easier to find. 

Erin waved over at her as she poked her head into one of the game rooms set up. The taller girl was dressed as Katherine from the show  _ Nightbound _ . 

“Hey Skye, cool fangs.”

“Thanks, have you seen Bailey around anywhere?”

Erin thought for a moment.

“I thought I saw her and Amber talking a few minutes ago. I think they went upstairs, that’s where all the game rooms are.”

“Ok, thanks.”

Skye turned and headed in that direction before Erin could say anything else. The stairs were decorated with more pink jack-o-lanterns and pink garland. A few of the doors upstairs were open, rouge game music flooded the hallways as Skye navigated through the large house. Down the hall she caught sight of a few shadows that seemed to be in conversation. As she drew closer she could just make out Bailey’s voice.

the voices are hushed as Skye draws nearer and for a few moments Skye wasn’t sure if she should continue. Bailey’s voice sounded a bit harsh, but Skye couldn’t really make out the words. Amber seemed to catch sight of her first, quickly followed by Bailey as the girl turned quickly on hearing Skye’s approach.

“Sorry,” Skye hastily said as the two girls froze, examining their faces Skye could see Bailey looking stressed and upset, “I thought I heard Bailey, was I interrupting?”

“No,” Bailey quickly said as she turned and grabbed Skye’s wrist, “come dance with me?”

Amber’s face was a strange mix of worry and pity as Skye allowed herself to be pulled away. Bailey’s grip was unusually tight, and her breathing sounded rugged and uneven for a few steps as the other girl tried to pull herself together. Skye hadn’t even noticed her costume until now. Bailey's blonde hair was loose in waves accented by her pale blue and white dress. Her Mary Jane shoes clicked on the steps as she pulled Skye along until they were deep within the dancing crowd. 

Bailey stopped for a second before turning to Skye, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders and burying her face in Skye's neck. Skye felt her breath crash against her skin when the other girl let out a loud sigh. Skye's arms fumbled around the other girls waist for a moment before she returned the hug.

"Are you alright?"

Skye chanced the question as one hand moved to rub circles into Bailey's back. The other girl took a moment before pulling away, only loosening her grip on Skye slightly so she could look at the other girl's face.

"I'm okay, Amber's just… a lot."

"She seemed pretty worried about you," Skye pointed out as Bailey absent mindedly pulled them into a gentle swaying motion in time to the slower pop song playing over the million dollar sound system.

"It's fine, I just got a little weird not being able to find anyone in this crowd."

Skye could tell Bailey wasn't being one hundred percent honest with her. The blonde closed her eyes for a moment before her green eyes opened to study Skye's face, the beginning of a smile forming.

"I like the fangs, they're very you somehow," Bailey offered as she moved her hand, just barely grazing the side of Skye's jaw, "did you see any of the others yet?"

"I saw Ajay trying to will the world to release him from his mortality and Dino-Rory but that's it."

"I guess we should save Ajay after this," Bailey hummed, "but I'm having fun now. So he can wait."

"Could the rabbit wait, Alice?"

"His thing was way more important and besides," Bailey’s hand dropped back around Skye's shoulders, "I'm glad I got to steal you for a few minutes."

The song slowed to the end as the two stood close in a comfortable silence. Bailey idly played with Skye's hair for a few seconds she hummed along to the closing verse of the song. Her smile turned a little more genuine as the song switched to something more upbeat. Bailey took a breath, straightening herself up for a moment before flashing Skye a more genuine smile.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Letting me sulk for a few minutes. And dancing with me after I pretty much demanded you to.”

“You didn’t have to twist my arm that much,” Skye shrugged, flashing a small smile the other girl's way, her fangs flashing a bit causing Bailey to giggle.

“Sorry, your fangs are too cute.”

“Cute?”

Bailey smiled a little bigger at Skye’s confused look before they were interrupted by the Rory-saurus as they loudly scuttled their way over.

“Bailey! Skye! Let’s carve pumpkins!”

Rory raised a large pumpkin that they had precariously managed to get into the small hands of the dinosaur costume. Ajay lagged behind, shoving his phone in his pocket and looking just the slightest bit happier than before. 

“The table’s pretty empty if we want to snag it now we’ll have the area to ourselves.”

“That sounds like fun,” Bailey offered, pulling away from Skye slightly awkwardly. Her presence didn’t leave entirely though, her one hand quickly finding Skye’s and gave the short redhead a gentle squeeze, “come on Skye!”

The pumpkin carving room was set up in the grand dining room of the house. It was currently empty except for a few theatre techs on the one side of the table chatting.

"Amber said all the pumpkins were cleaned and hallowed, which is slightly disappointing," Rory added as they grabbed a few pumpkins from the one table and brought them over one by one, "but she is serving the roasted seeds so all is forgiven."

"Are you attempting to carve with that dinosaur suit on?" Ajay asked as Rory placed a pumpkin in front of him.

"Alas, that is the only downside of this costume."

"Please, there are plenty of downsides," Ajay sighed, "you can't eat or drink in there, you can't hold anything, I bet you haven't drunk the recommended supply of water since getting in that costume, I'm surprised Erin hasn't appeared yet."

"Erin made me promise to take it off after a few hours to eat," Rory admitted, "I have a backup costume too. I'll go change while you guys get started so Erin doesn't yell at me."

Rory excused themselves to change while the rest of them started drawing out designs on their pumpkins. Ajay more or less supervised as some of the techs came over to join them. A few of them pulled up videos of various different pumpkin carving TikToks and showed them off in the group. Bailey was humming happily at Skye’s side, drawing a dog into her pumpkin that looked a little like Frosty while Ajay gave in after much tormenting by the other techs and started drawing some stick figures on his. Skye started sketching out a graveyard scene, stopping only when Trevor or another tech member turned their phones around to show the rest of the crew a pumpkin carving video that they found interesting. Skye carved away at her pumpkin, cutting away at the thick skin at different levels to try to mimic some of the value that the carvers in the videos got. 

Bailey however… is running purely on instinct and determination as she hacked away at the pumpkin with vigor. Skye makes a mental note never to piss the other girl off when sharp objects were involved.

“You’re really hacking away at that cat Bailey,” Ajay mentioned as he looked over at the pumpkin.

“It’s not a cat! It’s Frosty.” Bailey turned her pumpkin more towards Ajay so the other student could see.

“I guess it does kinda look dog-like,” Ajay offered as he tilted his head, “What’s with all the marks on his head though?”

“That’s his fur!”

“Right… looks great.”

“Liar,” Bailey huffed as Ajay fought off a grin, “such a jerk.”

“Those are some harsh words, they inspire me to re-block the first few opening scenes. Now Princess Abigail will start the play face down on the stage.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Try me.”

“Wow, it looks like Ajay’s actually having fun!” Rory’s voice entered the room in a way only Rory’s could as they returned in a pirate outfit rather than their dinosaur outfit, “someone take a picture so we can always remember this moment.”

“Haha, very funny.”

Rory only chucked and took a seat next to Bailey as the theatre crew continued their carving. 

“Hey guys!” 

A false cheerful voice called out as Danielle walked into the room carrying a tray of some sort. She, as usual, walked right up to Rory with an over-exaggerated smile.

“Hey, what took you so long, you missed my first costume,” Rory asked casually as Danielle took inventory of the room, her eyes turned slightly colder as they caught sight of Bailey so close to Rory.

“Oh, my mom found out I was going to a party and insisted that I bring something. She made loaded brownies. Want one?”

Danielle uncovered the tray and offered it to Rory first. Rory took one and passed the tray around.

“Erin wants to know if we want to join her in the arcade room.” Ajay spoke up as he grabbed a brownie from the tray, “she challenged me to a ping pong game, a mistake honestly.”

“Oh no, Ajay’s competitive side has emerged.” Rory grinned, “We’ll catch up with you.”

Ajay nodded and headed off with what Skye assumed was his version of a game face. Trevor grabbed a brownie off the tray and passed it over to Skye and Bailey on the other side of the table.

“What’s in them?” Bailey asked cautiously as she took the tray.

“Oh, chocolate chips, M&Ms, pretzels, and I think some mini marshmallows, so all your calories needed for a week,” Danielle giggled in a somewhat staged type of way at Bailey’s question, “My mom loves making them around Halloween.”

Bailey took one off the tray and handed it to Skye. Skye hesitated a moment before taking one and passing the tray back to Rory. 

“I heard them playing some great songs, wanna come dance Rory?”

“Uh, sure.”

Danielle eagerly pulled Rory away, smirking over her shoulder.

“So, does she not want her tray back?”

Trevor sighed, “something tells me that’s now high on her priorities. Wanna hit the arcade? I bet Erin and Ajay are in the middle of a match by now.”

“You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up. Someone should grab Clint and Natalie and make them give up the dino costume too.”

“Good luck, text us if you can’t find us,” Trevor called as Bailey got up with her brownie to go get the two missing members of their group. Trevor turned to Skye, “that looks really good, you should put it on the table for the carving contest.”

“It’s not that great,” Skye muttered as she glanced over at the other creations on the table.

“It’s worth a try, besides anything that could give the theatre more publicity is a good thing yeah?”

“I guess, OK.”

Skye gave up and carried the pumpkin with her graveyard scene over to the table for judging later. 

“Cool, now let’s go watch Ajay and Erin ping pong to the death.”

That had to be an exaggeration, Skye thought as they walked out of the room and towards the game room Erin had pointed them to. On the way Trevor got distracted by some friends he knew from the AV club and Skye slipped away to walk the rest of the way herself. As she walked she pulled the fangs off her K9 teeth and put them in their case before taking a bite of the brownie in her hand.

It tasted kind of strange. Particularly what Skye assumed were the M&Ms had a different texture then what she was familiar with. Maybe they had been bad or old, but they certainly didn't taste like M&Ms. They overall had a weird taste that she didn’t particularly like. Skye looked around and pulled a napkin off the table to spit the bite into before dropping the napkin and the rest of the brownie into a nearby trash can. 

Skye dusted her hands off and headed over to the game room where Ajay and Erin were in the mist of a great ping pong war. The number of people who had gathered to watch created a small crowd around them cheering.

Skye absent-mindedly rolled up her sleeves to combat the slightly warmer temperature in the room as she watched Ajay's determined war face against Erin's far more relaxed smirk. During an intense volley, Skye noticed her skin growing itchy around her neck and forearms. Skye assumed it was just the dry warmth in the room, but it only got worse as a few minutes ticked by. Suddenly the itch is mixing with a burning feeling as Skye's nails started to lean shallow scratches into her skin. 

It hit Skye then that she knew what the feeling was. Looking down at her arms she noticed the angry red blotches burning and itching into her flash. This hadn't happened since she was about ten years old.

Skye slipped away from the crowd and down the hall to one of the vacant bathrooms. The mirror only revealed her suspensions as her neck was also covered in red, blotchy marks. The very sight made Skye feel far more nauseous. 

An allergic reaction.

Skye hadn't been the victim of one since she was 10 years old and her mom forgot to inform the host of a party they had gone to of Skye's allergy. She had been in the hospital for two weeks after that and nearly died of anaphylaxis thanks to a healthy dose of peanut oil in a main dish the host had served.

Speaking of nausea, Skye turned as she felt a particularly aggressive wave, throwing up the entire contents of her stomach into Amber's way too pristine toilet. With that it seemed to declare that Skye was doomed to feel like shit for the rest of the night. With a groan she pushed herself back up to a standing position reluctantly, her stomach having calmed down for the moment before flushing the toilet and going to the sink to wash the taste out of her mouth. Skye submitted herself to her new fate, sliding down to the tile floor and leaning against the cool bathtub for a few minutes.

Funnily enough, her throat hadn’t closed.

Last time she had an allergic reaction to peanuts, she had gone into full anaphylactic shock, complete with swollen throat and a terrifying drop in blood pressure. But now, despite her stomach turning and skin burning, she wasn’t having an issue breathing or felt lightheaded or anything else typical of her previous attack. Which at the very least, meant no epi-pen. Skye dug through her bag to pull out the small pill container of antihistamines. The way her doctor described her sensitivity to peanuts was primarily a contact-only reaction. She had to touch or eat something with peanuts to feel the effect, but when that did happen, the effects were pretty harsh.

Skye wondered for a second if her heart transplant had anything to do with the lack of cardiovascular reaction to her allergen. Another thing to be thankful to the poor soul who died to let her live.

Skye swallowed two of the little tablets dry and leaned against the side of the tub, waiting for the effects to kick in. Typically minor reactions that didn’t include anaphylaxis symptoms would go away after a dose or two of prescription antihistamines. Now it was just a matter of waiting. After a few minutes, Skye heard the vibrations of her cell phone going off. Bailey’s name lighting up the screen.

**Bailey: SKYE WHRE ARE YU?** **  
** **Bailey: DANIELLE’S BRWNYS HAD PEANTS IN TM**

**Bailey: PLEASE ANWSER**

Skye stared at her phone for a few minutes, the medicine starting to kick in as a drowsy feeling started creeping behind her eyes. 

**Skye: Hey**

**Skye: I’m ok.**

**Bailey: Where are you?**

**Skye: Upstairs bathroom, the one by the arcade room.**

**Skye: I ducked in here.**

Skye stared at her phone for a few minutes before leaning back, staring at the overly bright ceiling decorated with a large chandelier. She should probably get up and try to meet up with the others. Skye forced herself upright, washing her hands and face in the sink before looking in the mirror. The red marks on her neck were fading, but there were some longer scratches where her nails had broken skin, leaving traces of dried blood in their wake.

Skye pulled herself up and grabbed her bag off the floor before heading to the door. The second she opened the door she came face to face with Bailey. Green eyes looked panicked as they settled over Skye, taking in her appearance for a moment.

“SKYE! We were looking for you,” Bailey’s hands moved to Skye’s jaw, tilting her head a bit to analyze the damage on Skye’s skin. After a few moments, one of Bailey’s hands dropped to grip Skye’s wrist, examining the marks still visible on her forearm as well, “you’re all scratched up.”

“Yes, it itches pretty bad, I took something though so it’ll settle down soon.”

“You’re really calm about this,” Bailey sighed, her hands still prodding at Skye, her eyebrows knit together worryingly, as a frown plastered itself on her face.

“Sorry, the medicine I take causes drowsiness.”

Bailey’s hands are soft as her fingertips brush the unmarred side of Skye’s forearm. She’s still standing close and Skye can smell the peach-scented perfume that seemed to replace her usual sweet Gusher fragrance that Skye was used to. 

“Maybe we should get you to the hospital,” Bailey muttered as she let out a sigh, cradling Skye’s hand between hers.

“Hospital?” Skye echoed groggily, “what for?”

“I-I don’t know, isn’t that what you do when you have a bad allergic reaction?”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary, I’m not going into anaphylactic shock so it’s not a hospital-trip-worthy reaction.”

“I don’t think we should take a chance on it. Come on, Erin can drive.”

Bailey gently pulled Skye along as the groggy redhead followed her. It didn’t take them long to find Ajay who looked like he had run a marathon, his person was coated in a layer of sweat and his eyes were wild until they landed on Bailey and Skye on their way down the stairs. Ajay met them at the base of the stairs, limping unusually on his prosthetic leg.

“You found Skye, thank god,” Ajay muttered as he stopped in front of the redhead, examining the marks on her neck and arms for a moment, “how do you feel?”

“Tired.”

Ajay watched Skye for a few moments before his expression shifted to one of relief.

“Ok, well that’s all the excitement I can tolerate.”

“Should we get Skye to a hospital or something?”

“I don’t think that necessary, but we can ask Erin, she volunteers at a hospital so she might be worth consulting.”

“OK, I’ll go get her, wait here.”

Bailey started towards one of the rooms, stopping after only a few seconds, causing Skye to almost run into her. Skye blinked, looking up at the confused look on Bailey’s face.

“Are you okay?” Bailey asked hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“Ok, because… you didn’t let go.”

Skye tilted her head for a moment, grogginess confusing her until she felt Bailey’s hand move slightly against her palm. The blonde blushed a little as she fidgeted, causing Skye to suddenly feel wide awake as she let go of Bailey’s hand. She couldn’t even remember when she had grabbed her hand in the first place. Bailey watched her for a second before making some kind of high pitched noise and that sounded somewhat like “Erin” before blushing darker and dashing away. After a moment Skye heard Ajay snickering from behind her.

“Shut up.”

“You two are disasters, is the best possible way.”

“Sure, glad to entertain you,” Skye frowned and crossed her arms.

Ajay only chuckled as the two fell into a familiar silence. Ajay pulled out his phone for a moment, smiling at the screen.

“You’ve been smile-y lately,” Skye mentioned as she watched Ajay shove his phone back in his pocket quickly, “it’s kinda weird.”

“Oh, well, I’ve been… catching up with a friend.”

The blush on Ajay’s face said otherwise. Skye flashed a smug little smirk as Ajay scoffed.

“Shut up.”

It got a little blurry after that. Erin came over, came to the same conclusion as Ajay, and the four decided to turn in early. At some point it seemed Bailey had offered up her house for an impromptu sleepover. Ajay declined politely and Erin had volleyball practice on a  _ Sunday _ which seemed more like a crime then anything else. 

Within thirty minutes Erin had dropped Bailey and Skye off at the Jackson residence. Skye was sure she'll be a little embarrassed the next day at how quickly she dropped herself onto the soft couch. She felt the couch dip as Bailey sat down a foot from Skye's. Skye turned slightly more onto her back, tilting her head back to catch Bailey fidgeting a bit with her hands as she watched Skye from per peripheral vision. 

“Sorry you bailed early because of me,” Skye offered as Bailey’s head snapped in her direction, “did you at least get to see the ice sculpture?”

Bailey rolled her eyes.

“That’s kind of hard to miss. A giant Lorenzo and Amber were basically the centerpiece of the party. And don’t worry about bailing early, I’m not really a party girl to begin with.”

Skye thought back to Bailey and Amber in the hallway, the look on Amber’s face flashing through Skye’s mind for a moment.

“So, are you and Amber friends? You two were talking at the party.”

“Not really,” Bailey muttered as she shifted so she wasn’t looking at Skye anymore, “I know her from middle school. She’s alright, but she’s a bit much. We weren’t really talking either.”

“Arguing?” 

“Drop it, okay, it doesn’t matter.”

The tone of Bailey's voice suggested wasn't something that couldn’t have mattered. But the way Bailey was fidgeting and acting a bit stand-offish made Skye drop the subject for now. After a few minutes of less than comfortable silence, the front door opened.

“Bailey, you’re home early,” Mrs. Jackson’s voice rang out through the house, “and you brought Skye! Lovely to see you again dear.”

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Jackson,” Skye greeted from her spot as Mrs. Jackson chuckled.

“As formal as ever I see. Are you feeling alright? You look a bit under the weather?”

“I’m okay,” Skye pushed herself up as Mrs. Jackson crossed the living area, “I’m allergic to peanuts, and I may have had a little run in at the party, but I’m doing okay now. The medicine just makes me tired.”

“Ah, Bailey’s allergic too. I used to have to carry all kinds of antihistamines for her when she was little. They always made her sleepy or nauseous. How’s your stomach dear? I have a tea recipe that always does the trick.”

“You don’t have to go to the trouble,” Skye insisted as Mrs. Jackson already made her way to the kitchen as she spoke, “I’m already intruding.”

“Nonsense, any friend of Bailey’s is welcome here anytime.” 

Mr. Jackson set himself down on the armchair next to the couch. He was a taller man with dark skin and black hair. His eyes were kind and he looked overall a bit tired. He let out a breath before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“So you’re the infamous Skye. My daughter and wife speak very highly of you. I hear you’re quite the artist, I dabble a bit in it myself.”

“Mrs. Jackson showed me the countdown for the play. I really liked your castle drawing.”

Mr. Jackson chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.

“Thank you, I certainly try my best. Bailey told me you met in theatre club. Rita and I are really looking forward to seeing the play next month.”

“Everyone’s very talented, the play is going to be amazing,” Skye confirmed as she felt Bailey shift slightly closer to her.

“The set’s amazing, Skye’s worked on it pretty much single handedly.”

“That’s not entirely true!”

“It’s pretty true though,” Bailey flashed a genuine smile her way, filled with apologies she couldn’t voice right that second. Skye heard them regardless, “Ajay’s gotten the rest of the techs to at least start picking up the pace, but without Skye our set wouldn’t even be started yet.”

“I look forward to seeing it,” Mr. Jackson smiled widely, his eyes shone bright with pride, “Opening night, all official, I might even wear my Friday best.”

Bailey laughed a little as they fell into a comfortable conversation. After a few minutes, Mrs. Jackson placed a hot cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Skye.

“Are you girls’ hungry? I can make some snacks.”

The way Skye’s nose wrinkled at the mention of food paired with the little shake of Bailey’s head seemed to be a satisfiable answer as Mrs. Jackson smiled.

“Alright then, I think we’ll head off to bed now, it’s getting late. Don’t stay up too late.” 

They said their goodnights and disappeared into the master bedroom on the main floor. Once they were gone, Bailey turned to Skye with regret on her face.

“I’m sorry, I did it again.” 

Bailey closed her eyes as the remorse filled her features.

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you, it wasn’t right. It’s just… It’s a sensitive topic. I’d rather not talk about it right now if that’s alright?”

“Always.”

“Here, let me get some blankets from the closet.”

Skye’s not sure she stayed awake long enough to wait for Bailey to come back, but the warmth that her half-asleep mind processed as he slipped into unconsciousness settled any doubts from that night.

***

Skye woke up that morning early, Mrs. and Mr. Jackson were already in the kitchen by the sounds of it. Skye opened her eyes against the warm sunlight making its way through the living area. As she sat up, she noticed Bailey still fast asleep. She got up quietly so as to not disturb her and made her way upstairs where the bathroom was to wash her face and straighten her wild red hair. It had been a little white since Skye had been in the Jackson house, so as she looked down the hallway baring three doors she tried to recall which was the right one. Bailey’s bedroom was on the left. Skye remembered that very clearly, but she couldn’t recall which door had been the bathroom.

It would make sense that it would be the first one… right? Skye turned the doorknob and opened the door to reveal… not a bathroom, but a second bedroom. The entire room held the smell of dust and was clearly not lived in for some time. It felt like looking into a time capsule, a thin layer of dust painted the tops of the furniture. The bed was perfectly made as if no one had slept in it in months. There were small decor pieces scattered about. A memo board with pictures, some football memorabilia, a framed sports jersey, a few trophies of different sizes and… a little section on the desk with a candle that looked oddly out of place. It sat before a few framed photos arranged around it and a little vase with some not too well doing flowers. 

Skye instantly felt like she wasn’t supposed to be there. She closed the door softly and moved to the next door. She hesitated for a moment before slowly pushing it open to reveal the familiar bathroom. Skye let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she closed the door behind her and started the faucet, letting the water run for a few moments before she splashed a few handfuls on her face. 

Her forearms were wrapped in white gauze, Skye hadn’t noticed until looking down. There was a slight trace of dried blood on the bandages on her right arm, probably a deeper scratch that reopened sometime during the evening. Bailey must have wrapped up the scratches while Skye was sleeping. Skye couldn’t really blame her, she’s sure the marks must have been ugly, and who would really want to look at them? 

Throughout her short morning routine, her mind ran trying to figure out what skeleton she just uncovered. There was a lurking feeling that she needed to tell Bailey what she had stumbled on, for no other reason in that she shouldn’t have stumbled on it in the first place. But with all of Bailey’s back and forth moods lately, she didn’t want to upset her if she didn’t have to.

Once Skye made her way back down stairs, she noticed Bailey was still fast asleep on the couch. Mr. Jackson was pulling on his jacket by the front door, looking up as he noticed Skye treading down the stairs.

“Morning, hope we didn’t wake you up,” Mr. Jackson greeted with a smile, “although, I was hoping to catch you before I had to leave. Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah.”

Mr. Jackson nodded, glancing over at Bailey meaningfully for a moment.

“You and Bailey met during Mrs. Silva’s support group, didn’t you?”

Skye nodded.

“How’s Bailey doing, with the group,” Mr. Jackson’s face fell as he asked, concern quickly morphing his features, “has she… felt comfortable enough to talk to anyone about… things?”

“...Bailey… keeps to herself a bit. She talked to me and Ajay during the meetings, but if you’re asking if she’s told us why she’s in the support group, she hasn’t gotten into any detail about that. She’s kind of told me that there was something but she said it was hard to talk about and that she needed time.”

“I see,” Mr. Jackson’s face fell, “I’m not surprised, even though it’s been over two years now, it just seems like something Bailey hasn’t been able to face. I do hope you and the others help her come to terms with everything. As her father, I worry about her. I worry that this darkness will keep consuming her, and I really want her to be able to move on and enjoy life again.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to help more.”

“It’s alright, you being there for her is more than enough,” Mr. Jackson flashed a weak smile, “but I have to ask, if possible, if she starts to talk about it. Please do your best to push her to face it. I know it’s selfish and unfair to ask that of you. But as a desperate father, I can’t stop myself from at least asking. Don’t let Bailey sit in this darkness by herself, if possible, help her out if it. Even if it’s as simple as not letting go.”

“I’ll do my best, Mr. Jackson,”

“Greg,” Mr. Jackson chuckled, “My wife was certainly right about the formalities.”

“I just have to ask, why ask me? Haven’t Rory and Bailey been friends longer? Wouldn’t they be a better choice?”

“If I’m being completely honest, Rory tries to protect Bailey from this. But that hasn’t helped her gain the strength needed to face it, only to run away. Rory has good intentions, but,” Mr. Jackson looked down, “I love Rory, but I’m not sure pretending things didn’t happen will help Bailey. That’s why I’m asking you. I know it’s selfish, and I apologize for asking such a huge favor of you.”

“It’s alright, I do want to help, if I can.”

“Thank you,” Mr. Jackson smiled, looking a little like a small weight was lifted from his shoulders, “I really appreciate it. Thank you, Skye. Oh, before I forget, we left some breakfast on the stove for you and Bailey. I do apologize we didn’t get more time to chat.”

“It’s fine.”

“We’ll have to have you over for dinner sometime to make up for it,” Mr. Jackson smiled a little brighter, “you can tell me more about the architecture behind the 3D castle you have planned for the play.”

“That sounds great,” Skye smiled as Mr. Jackson gave a final wave and left out the front door. The door closed with a soft click and Skye turned back to Bailey, who was still dead asleep on the couch, snoring softly with the smallest trace of drool on the side of her mouth.

It’s charming in a strange sort of way that only Bailey could pull off. Skye flashed the sleeping girl a soft smile before headed into the kitchen to see what was left for them. The first thing Skye noticed was that the Jackson family didn’t mess around with breakfast. There were two large plates stacked with french toast, scrambled eggs, and smaller bowls of chopped up strawberries. The food was still warm, which Skye was a bit thankful for as to avoid trying to figure out the Jackson family microwave. Skye moved the plates to the table and eyed the stove for a second, turning the knob until she heard the clicking followed by the burner turning on. She moved the still half-full kettle over the flame to boil the water for tea. 

Skye’s only in the kitchen a few moments before she hears the klutzy thumping of Bailey waking up and moving into the room. The blonde emerged with her blonde hair still a mess as she yawned loudly and glanced around the room with sleepy eyes.

“Morning,” Bailey flashed a small smile as she gathered some mugs from the cabinet, “coffee?”

“I think I’m good with tea today,” Skye added as Bailey pulled a few different tea boxes from the closet, “how’d you sleep?”

“Great, black tea?”

“Sounds good.”

Bailey hummed as she dropped some tea bags into the cup and moved closer, waiting for the water to finish boiling on the stove.

“How are you arms?” Bailey doesn’t wait for an answer, gently taking one of Skye’s wrists and moving to glance at the bandages, frowning at the slight evidence of blood, “I can change them after breakfast.”

Skye only nodded, thinking back to the room upstairs as Bailey poured the freshly boiled water into the two mugs and they moved to the table. Mr. Jackson’s words echoed in her head for a few moments. The room. The darkness. Mr. Jackson’s worried face. Bailey’s own darkened eyes and false smiles. Skye wanted to find out how to help, so she’d have to figure out how to get Bailey to face something she clearly didn’t want to face.

As Bailey cleaned the dishes, Skye pulled out her phone, sending out a text to the one person she could think of to help in a situation like this.

**Skye: Are you free? I need your help with something.**

Skye shoved her phone back into her pocket, watching Bailey as she rinsed off the dishes. She’s not humming today, and her eyes look just a little darker than usual. After a few minutes, Skye felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She briefly glanced down to see a reply.

**Ajay: I’m free. I was actually going to grab coffee at The Java Lounge later. Meet me there?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belly Rubbins for Bubbins: https://twitter.com/dodo/status/1306775951842439168


	7. Friend, Make Sense Of Me

November was the qualifying season.

Skye had almost forgotten. However her mother seemed to be preparing for it. Skye had stopped at the Crandall house to change clothes before meeting with Ajay. The house was quiet except for her mother, who was sitting at the marble kitchen table reading through folders with a strangely excited smile on her face. When she spotted Skye she gave her a look that seemed more fitting of a child seeing their favorite doll.

“I found you a new coach for this season.”

Skye didn’t particularly know what was wrong with her last coach, but every season it seemed her mother fired and re-hired a new coach to train her through her short and long program skates. However, her “short” program was always the same. Ironically for the last two years she had used the same short program regardless of who taught her. A choreographic piece by Victor Nikiforov to the song  _ In Regards To Love - Eros _ . 

“You start today, be at the Cedar Cove Ice Rink at three.”

Her mother doesn’t even look at her when delivering the command. She was probably still angry that Skye hadn’t passed the qualifiers last year. At the beginning, Skye’s mom had been enthusiastic to discover Skye’s interest in the sport. As soon as she possibly could she signed Skye up for lessons and it quickly became their thing. It was hard for Skye to explain, but she had looked forward to her lessons, because that was the one time where her mother would drop everything to spend time with her. It made Skye want to work hard, want to make her mom proud so she’d keep coming and watching Skye skate. 

Her mother would smile at her whenever her teacher praised Skye for her hard work and her skill as she quickly got better. Her mom would rest a hand on her shoulder and proudly soak in all the appraisal Skye got. Until Skye started competing. As hard as Skye worked, her first year had been less than ideal, at least to her mother. Skye struggled with the new advanced schedule, working extra hours in the rink in attempts to master each and every step. It resulted in bloodied ankles and sore feet from hours on her skates. Her first year, she just missed scoring high enough for Nationals. 

Ice skating was very different from any of the sports Brian played and Skye’s first year had been a learning experience. It wasn’t like a high school sport where Skye would skate alongside other high schoolers. Ice Skating was broken down by rank and by age. Skye competed in Novice, which ended up working in her favor as she was one of the older kids in the novice rank, meaning many of the kids weren’t as serious as her coach had been with her. So qualifying for Regionals had been fairly easy with the programs she skated. At Regionals, though, Skye hadn’t placed high enough to move on. 

At first, her coach wouldn’t take any of the blame when her parents' rage sparkled. After all, it was her first year competing, what had her parents expected? Skye hadn’t been on the ice for a full year, so there was no way she would have made it all the way to nationals, let alone internationals like her parents wanted. Her coach eventually got fed up and quit on the spot. 

Her second year was worse in some ways. On one hand, her new coach was better at targeting Skye’s weaker areas, such as jumps, and focused on conditioning her so she could move like the other skaters her age. It ended up enabling her parents' harsh management of her diet and forced Brian to share the family gym so Skye could work up the muscle groups needed to make her better at spins and jumps. As Skye got better, however, her mother decided that novice was too novice for Skye to compete in and demanded Skye skate in the Junior bracket. While her coach tried to argue that Skye couldn’t physically do the jumps required to compete well in that division, her mother had none of it. It forced Skye to work every day; Monday through Sunday. Conditioning, on ice, conditioning, on ice, back and forth until Skye didn’t have the energy to do anything else besides collapse on her bed and pass out for hours until she woke up the next day to do it all over again.

The exhaustion she had been in did not mince well with her mother’s insistence that Skye fast before competitions, the last thing she wanted was Skye throwing up on the ice, and resulted in Skye having one of the worst skates of her life. Her coach quit shortly after and her mother hadn’t spoken to her in a week.

Eventually, her mom stopped coming with her to the rink. Even on off-season days where Skye practiced to keep in shape for the coming season. She hadn’t even brought up anything about a coach until today, leaving Skye only weeks to prepare for qualifiers at the end of the month.

The conversation was over and Skye couldn’t tell whether or not her mom cared enough if she actually attended. Skye headed upstairs when her mother’s attention went back to whatever gossip magazine she was reading. She took a quick shower and changed before grabbing her skates on the way out.

***

The Java Lounge was exactly how Skye pictures a coffee place Ajay would frequent. The shop was decorated with beautiful dark hardwood with pops of brightly colored fabric couches, beech wood counter and tabletops and pendant lighting. Ajay was already seated at a booth when she stepped inside the shop. The older boy waved her over to his booth at the corner. As Skye walked up she noticed Ajay had taken up most of the space on the table with his laptop and textbooks. 

“Hey, I hope you don’t mind, it’s a pain in the neck getting a waiter over here, so I ordered for you when I caught him,” Ajay explained as Skye sat across from him. He pushed over a short wide mug filled with a spice-scented beverage with a wave pattern etched into white foam, “I hope it’s okay, it’s a pumpkin spice cappuccino, and don’t tell anyone else in the theatre, but this is the only pumpkin spice thing that I’ll drink.”

Skye smiled faintly as Ajay nudged over another plate.

“Almond sugar cookies, I usually spend a few hours here at a time, so I stock up when I have the waiter’s attention.”

Skye took note of the array of pastries set out in front of Ajay.

“I never pegged you as someone with a sweet tooth.”

“I assure you I’m pickier than this gives me credit for. This cafe has more savory pastries that I enjoy. And I skipped lunch.”

“I can pay you back-”

“It’s my treat, I insist,” Ajay smiled and sipped at his fancy coffee, “you wanted to talk?”

“Yeah,” Skye looked down at the hot beverage in front of her. After a second she replayed the scene to Ajay slowly, nervously fidgeting with her hands as she spoke. As she finished the story she looked down waiting for Ajay’s response. After a few seconds she looked up to see Ajay’s eyebrows knitted together, his face scrunched in thought.

“I understand why that would alarm you, honestly, from what you’ve told me, I’d say you’ve pretty much uncovered a big part of Bailey’s story as far as why she’s in the support group to begin with. An empty, unused, room set up like that strikes me as something to indicate that part of her family is no longer with her.”

“But what do I do? Do I tell her what I saw? It feels weird just acting like nothing happened.”

“You said her father said something to you about helping Bailey face what happened yeah?”

Skye nodded.

“But it’s not like she’s hiding it. She’s said she wants to tell me once she can, and I can’t force her to.”

“It certainly puts you between a rock and a hard place,” Ajay nodded, “one on hand you want to honor Bailey’s privacy and let her come to you, but on the other hand her father wants you to open the door for Bailey to tell you.”

Skye let her shoulders drop as silence stretched between the two. 

“Maybe, there’s a way to do both. Hear me out, what if you gave Bailey a gentle nudge to sign up for that therapy app that Mrs. Silva’s colleagues worked on? At the end of the day, if Bailey does need professional help coming to terms with something, then she needs help outside of what you or I could do for her.”

“So, how do I do that?”

“A good question,” Ajay thought for a moment, “when I started therapy it was because a...friend of mine had talked me into it after I completely blew up at the end of a Summer theatre production. She leveled with me, telling me in terms that would force me to understand that my mental health was affecting those around me almost as much as it affected me. That people cared about me and that they wanted me to take steps to have a better life. Sometimes it takes someone willing to be straightforward and honest with you to make you do something for yourself.”

Skye thought for a few seconds, she wasn’t so sure a similar method would work on Bailey, as if hearing her thoughts, Ajay started talking again.

“I don’t think Bailey needs as heavy of a hand as I did. My best recommendation would be to try to normalize it. Going to therapy is a normal thing and even people who don’t think they have issues should still look into it because sometimes their normal isn’t normal and it takes someone talking to them for them to realize that. Honestly if you mentioned to her that you were thinking of joining the app then maybe it would help her. I would be willing to let her know that I use it as well. Then it makes it seem less scary to be thinking of talking to a therapist.”

“If we joined together then it would help her?” Skye asked as she followed Ajay’s thoughts. The older boy nodded.

“It’s always less scary when you have someone else with you.”

Skye hummed, thinking it over for a few seconds. On one hand, she would take any reason to bail on the therapist her parents had hand picked for her and made her go to whenever she “acted out” on the other hand, she really didn’t want to get into it with another therapist. Skye was never one to really like talking to some stranger. It was clear though by the way Ajay was looking at her that he was going to keep trying to sell the idea to her until she agreed. 

“I guess I could try it with her. I’m not sure how much time I can dedicate to it right now with the play… and the season starting up.”

“Season?”

“I ice skate. My mom makes me compete every year and that ends up taking up all my free time,” Skye explained a little ruefully. She didn’t hate the sport, at least she didn’t think she hated the sport. The pressure her mom put on her and how hard she knew she’d have to work weighed down on her as she went down the mental checklist of everything that she’d have to do before qualifiers.

“I see, Bailey had mentioned you did some sport when you took off like a bat out of hell during the 5K. I wasn’t expecting ice skating though,” Ajay admitted, “I pegged you as more a roller derby kinda girl.”

“Ha, my mom would lose her shit. Plus it wouldn’t look good at all the corporate dinners.” 

“Rory and I tried to plan a play on ice once during a Summer production, but we quickly found out Rory and ice don’t really go together. I admit, I was really excited about the choreography I had planned before I found out Rory couldn’t skate and Clint almost gave himself a concussion.”

“Hell, I’d let you choreograph my performances, my parents usually pick from some already done Russian choreography paired with some music I’ve never heard of.”

Skye wasn’t sure if Ajay was serious about the proposal, at least until his eyes lit up in determination.

“Give me five minutes with your coach and I can sell them on it.”

“Oh..well… I don’t really know my coach yet for this season. My mom always fires them once the season is over. I’m supposed to meet my new coach today at three.”

“By yourself?” Ajay asked as he studied her for a few seconds, Skye only nodded, “I’m… going to go with you anyway. I don’t really like the idea of you meeting some stranger by yourself.”

***

The ice skating rink was mostly empty. Skye figured as much, her mom probably emptied the entire rink just for whatever hot-shot coach she had hired this season. 

“I guess we’re early,” Skye hummed as they walked down towards the opening of the ice, “I guess that gives me time to warm up.”

“Go ahead, I’ll keep watch here,” Ajay offered as he walked over to the line of benches closest to the ice. Taking a seat and pulling out his computer. Skye dropped the bag with her skates on the floor as she put in her earbuds. The silence of the rink overbearing as she played some slower rock songs on her Musicfly as she stretched. After a several minutes Skye swapped out her combat boots for her skates. The pearl white finish already brought horrid flashbacks from last season. 

The cold was more intense on the ice. The chill bit through Skye’s black leggings and through Bailey’s oversized sweater that Skye hasn’t returned yet. The lilac scent is barely clinging to the fabric, a subtle reminder of how long Skye had been hoarding it. 

Skye skates around for a few minutes before pulling her phone out of her pocket and scrolling through her playlist. There was a video released after her season last year that she’d been mimicking the skating for practice. Since her mom didn’t follow her to the rink anymore, it gave her the freedom to learn and practice however she wanted. Skye queued up the song on her phone and moved to the center of the ice as if it were a mock performance. 

Skye had a very love hate relationship with skating. When her mother or competitions were involved she hated every minute. But at times when she had the rink to herself during the summers when no one thought to skate were her favorites. She’d try to mimic her favorite skaters and skate out their routines. It was more freeing, she could choose the routine, alter it and bend it however she liked. That particular routine had quickly become a favorite of hers. It was mostly footwork and spins with a few jumps. 

Skye moved to the memorized step sequence leading to the first jump. Skye glided almost effortlessly into a double axel, wincing as she landed. It was a subtle reminder that she chose everything about her routines and skating career, right down to the overpriced and one size too small skates. 

It made jumps hurt more, and she couldn't land anything greater than a double or risk serious ankle pain. The landing leads her into another quick-paced step sequence. Step sequences were more her forte, it was something she did better with in skates that didn’t quite fit, and it was what she was praised for during her days competing. The sequence led up to a layback spin that converted halfway to a tighter more upright spin. 

As soon as she came to a stop, she noticed that there was someone else over by Ajay watching her skate. A fairly young looking woman who couldn’t have been much older than thirty with white blonde hair. Skye shifted a little more sheepishly before gliding over. 

“Your skates don’t fit,” Was the first thing the stranger said before offering Skye her hand over the wall separating the ice from the first round of seating, “Coach Kudryavka Norgaard, Coach Laika for short, and yes I’m aware of the irony, my mother was very found of space trivia. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Katsuki. He’s assigned me to coach you this season. You’re Skye, I pulled your old competition tapes from previous qualifiers. For someone who started skating rather late, your step sequences and spins are above average. Your jumps however are a little lacking. But that may be because you’ve never owned a pair of skates that properly fit you.”

The woman had a slight accent, and she was far more brazen then some of Skye’s other coaches. Her dark brown eyes glanced over the ice again before speaking.

“I assure you, that doesn’t surprise me. The second your mom started bragging about the brand of skate you wore, Mr. Katuski noted that you’d need to be fitted for new ones. Brand names are nice and all if that brand is sponsoring you to wear their skates and has you properly fitted, but skates mean nothing if they don’t fit properly.”

Ajay looked a bit lost, but he had stood up when Skye skated over, taking in the conversation and glancing briefly at Skye to see if she would fill in the blanks for him.

“Your boyfriend?” Kudryavka asked as she gestured to Ajay.

“No, he’s just a friend.”

“And possible choreographer. Ajay Bhandari, we met in theatre and I have a history of choreography for theatrical productions.”

“You don’t have to sell me on it, kid. Frankly if a student of mine wants an outside source to choreography their long program I have no issue with it. I am keeping control of the short program and I have to approve the long program. You may have some experience in theatre, but in Ice Skating there is a technical judging aspect.”

“So I can pick my long program?” Skye asked, a little shocked by the freedom. Typically she picked nothing, it was all her mother.

“Long programs are more about the skater, they should possess your personality, your style of skating, and show off your ability as a skater. So I am giving you creative freedom to create something on your own. You choose music, and I can help you and Ajay come up with the choreography. Keep in mind the requirements for the competition,” Kudryavka glanced between the two seeming to note the confusion on Ajay’s face, “You have questions?”

“Short program and long program,” Ajay started, “those are different?”

“Short program is the first part of an ice skating competition. It’s under three minutes and typically requires several elements. You can leave that to me, although your parents are pushing rather hard for you to skate  _ Eros _ again. I, however, disagree with that decision. I believe I’ve sold them on a different choreography. It’s to my understanding that your father is a fan of  Victor Nikiforov, so I’ve talked to them about changing the piece from  _ Eros _ to  _ Agape _ . I feel that would be a better fit and it’s very poor to use the same short program for many years. ” Kudryavka took a breath, “I apologize, this is a lot of information, how about we go over something needed for the long program so Ajay can think on that while he takes you to get new skates.”

Kudryavka pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Ajay.

“The first deposit for coaching usually goes towards new skates since many amature and junior level skaters haven’t been properly fitted. I have a friend who works at a local sports shop. You want to ask for the Jackson Artiste Series, they need to be tested for advanced freestyle, and try to pick a neutral color, black or white so they’ll match with whatever outfit is put together for the two programs.”

Ajay was sold at the mention of shopping. His eyes lit up in a way Skye had only previously seen when Sydney mentioned new props or costume pieces. 

“Long programs this season require at least one axel jump, no more then three spins, only one step sequence, and I would keep the jump combinations at two for now.”

Kudryavka went over a few more things with Ajay before setting up an official first lesson. Ajay and Skye left the rink and headed over to the sports store Kudryavka had told them to go to have Skye properly fitted for skates. The shop was rather small, various winter themed sports supplies decorated the front window display as they walked in, quickly being greeted by the shopkeeper at the front counter.

“Hey there folks, how can I help you today?”

“Ice skates, fitting and we’re supposed to tell you that we’re interested in the Jackson Artiste Series?” Ajay spit out the info as the shopkeep tilted his head.

“You’re Laika’s students?”

“Just her,” Ajay gestured to Skye, “she said you were the guy to talk to about new skates?”

“Yeah, Laika and I used to compete together, she sends her students here all the time,” The shopkeep smiled as he walked around the counter. He looked to be around the same age as  Kudryavka, maybe a year or two older with styled brown hair and dark eyes. He walked with a bit of a limp, and as he got closer his nametag became more visible. The name Hori was printed in large letters across his manager tag, “We can get you fitted, the Jacksons are over here.”

Ajay browsed the selves as Skye was measured for skates. 

“How do you and Coach Kudryavka know each other?” Skye asked in the silence, feeling a bit more awkward in silence.

“Laika and I competed together, we were rivals all through high school. I shattered my knee my first year of college and had to retire early. Laika competed up until a few years ago, then she started coaching and once I got the shop set up we kinda went into business together. She sends all her students here.”

“Did Coach Laika get hurt too?” Ajay asked from his space near a rack of skates.

“No, it’s pretty normal for figure skaters to retire early, you won’t find many of us past thirty competing. After a while you just can't jump as high as you used to. Figure skating is very much a young person’s sport,” Hori explained as he took down a few notes, “Jacksons can run small, you’d fit in a seven. I’d try a six too since that’s closest to your normal shoe size. Why anyone thought you'd fit in a four is beyond me. Take a look at the styles on the shelf there and let me know if you guys need any help.”

Hori smiled and excused himself as the bell over the door rang to signal another customer. Skye stood and looked over at the wall of white pearlized skates. She never really got to pick out her own skates before, her mother usually had them specially ordered. It felt like a little rebellion, being allowed to pick her own without her mother over her shoulder or breathing down her neck.

“How about these?” Ajay asked from the other side of the low shelf, holding up a black skate with a pearlized white sole, “they say ‘Jackson Supreme’ on them and they’re near the  Artiste Series skates.”

They were beautiful skates, matte ebony with matching stitching and black laces, the inside of the skates flashed a similar pearlized white as the sole of the skate. Despite herself, Skye smiled a bit.

“Do they come in a seven?”

“And a six,” Ajay offered as he carried over both boxes. 

After purchasing the proper size and having Hori take a few moments to install the blades the two walked back out into the cool November air, Ajay carrying the bag as he checked his phone with his other hand.

"You'll have to send me skaters you like so I can get an idea of what kind of program to put together. I guess you have to choose music too."

Skye nodded.

"I'm kind of excited, I've never gotten to pick any of my programs before," Skye hummed, "I can carry that."

Skye gestured to the bag and Ajay shook his head.

"Indulge me, Rory never lets me carry anything when we're out shopping."

"Why not?"

"Probably because of my leg," Ajay sighed, "Rory's a good friend, don't tell them I said that, but Rory is just one of those people who would rather overcompensate for you rather than let you try to overcome something. Since they found out about my leg, they've been going out of their way to make sure I didn't have to do any heavy lifting. Or if I had to run to another classroom or backstage for anything, Rory volunteers immediately to do it for me."

"Mr. Jackson was saying something similar. About how Rory protects Bailey instead of helping her face what happened."

"Rory doesn't do it to be malicious, but they're not really helping either. I don't know how to talk to Rory about it, especially since they always brush it off as not a problem. It’s like they misinterpreted the issue as me not wanting to be a burden while I’m really just trying to tell them not to touch my stuff."

Ajay let out an exhausted sigh, running his free hand through his black hair for a moment.

"It's hard to tell something that they're being annoying when their intent is to be nice. I haven't seemed to be able to convince Rory that I can do things myself, which is more annoying than anything else."

"Do you wish you hadn't told Rory about your leg?"

"No, everyone would have found out eventually. I just wish there was a way to talk to them that would sink in."

"Maybe you just have to be more blunt about it," Skye offered as they turned the corner, the street getting busier as they passed more and more shops. Early Christmas shoppers buzzed around with large shopping bags.

"But then Rory will get upset, and I don't want to be an unnecessary ass to them. I've told them before how it made me feel when they do stuff for me like that, and they'll stop for a bit, but then old habits don't seem to die and we're back in a cycle of Rory over helping and me trying not to think murderous thoughts."

"This is my stop," Ajay said as he stopped at the bus stop and handed Skye her bag, "think about what I said about Bailey and about the therapy. I think it could help both of you and it'll give you a clear head for skating."

"Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow."

Ajay smiled before his phone buzzed loudly. The older boy moved at almost lightning speed to grab it, grinning madly as he read what was on the screen.

"You're smiling like a weirdo again," Skye smirked as Ajay's head whipped up as if he had forgotten she was there, "your 'friend' again?"

"Her name is Grace," Ajay muttered as his face grew warm and changed color, "and that's confidential information so don't you dare tell anyone."

Skye only smiled and nodded as Ajay went back to his phone, the smile quickly creeping back to his face.

***

Skye was almost starting to look forward to Monday nights. It meant she got to see Bailey for another hour or two before the day's end. They fell into their usual routine of sitting next to each other and chatting while they waited for Ajay and Rory to join them.

"Did you find anything for your grounding box?"

Honestly, Skye had completely forgotten about it. So when Bailey had asked Skye had to hesitate a moment to remember what the box was in the first place.

"I don't think I'm very good at figuring out what to put in it," Skye admitted, "I looked through my old box of stuff from when I lived in the hospital too and couldn't really think of anything."

Bailey nodded a look of relief on her face.

"I have that problem too, I did find something though! It's an essential oil I've been addicted to lately."

Bailey shyly pulled a small bottle from her purse and handed it to Skye for inspection. The label is worn but Skye can smell the faint aroma coming from the bottle. It was a classic rose scent.

“It smells nice,”

“Yeah, I’ve been really into floral scents lately, this one is my favorite,” Bailey’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she took the offered bottle back and slipped it into her bag, “I like floral scents like this, I think they’re really pretty, like laying outside by a garden.”

Skye felt herself nodding before she could stop it, her mind immediately going back to the lavender scented sweater she still had. She should give it back to Bailey soon.

"I still have your sweater, I forgot to give it back to you."

Bailey thought for a moment, as if forgetting she lent it to Skye in the first place.

"That's okay, it gives me an excuse to invite you over again."

Bailey smiled sheepishly as Rory and Ajay walked in, bickering at their usual volume as they sat down. They stopped their banter to greet the other two members of the circle before Mrs. Silva rolled herself around the circle, an unusually large amount of balloons taped to her chair. Mrs. Silva’s smile lit up her face as she took her spot at the head of the group. 

"Today we're going to do something fun!" Mrs. Silva announced, "we had some serious talks last week about mental health and went over some options for dealing with stress. This week we're going to play a game to help get rid of any pent up stress and frustration. Now what I had originally thought to do was to have everyone write something on pieces of paper and to let our stressors fly into the night. But it's a cold night and I thought it'd be more fun to take a little field trip to the beach and instead of balloons, we're going to toss all our stress into a bonfire."

"Yes," Ajay sat up, suddenly very interested, "toss Rory into the fire."

"Paper, Ajay, we're writing stressors on paper!"

Skye snickered as the group quickly stood up in excitement at the idea of going on a field trip to the beach.

It's an unusual transporting situation, since Mrs. Silva couldn't drive in her wheelchair, she seemed to have a driver and van come to the school to help her out. The driver smiled brightly when the group meandered out.

"Well, this is a nice little group you have now."

"Everyone; this is my husband, Martin, he will be our escort on our field trip."

Martin Silva was a tall man with the same dark copper toned skin and charismatic smile as Rory. The beach was only a twenty minute drive from the school. As soon as the car pulled up the group branched out, gathering firewood or prepping the area to start the file. It was then that Skye realized that she really couldn’t remember anyone’s name outside of Bailey, Rory, and Ajay. There were ten total members of the group. Aside from the theatre kids there was a quieter boy a few grades ahead named Brackett. Skye only managed to draw his name because he had been chatting loudly with another boy named Chase while they were in the van. Aside from them there was a group of three other girls who’s names weren’t coming to Skye and a taller senior boy who mostly kept to himself.

Mrs. Silva made herself comfortable by the area chosen for their fire. Mr. Silva helped dig out the area while everyone scavenged for wood, a pile of shoes kicked off around the pit as people started exploring the beach as they searched for dry wood. Bailey had walked off towards the water, pacing across the sand a few feet from where the waves stretched out across the sand so as to not get touched with cold water. She looked over her shoulder as Skye walked over, smiling gently as Skye fell into step next to her.

“I don’t think you’re going to find much usable wood near the water.”

Bailey hummed as she glanced at the waves, a little bit of a nervous energy around her as she fidgeted with her hands a bit.

“You never know, there could be driftwood,” Bailey reasoned as they walked, “I’m kind of nervous too.”

“Nervous about what?”

Bailey shrugged, thinking over her words for a moment.

“It’s… hard to talk about things that stress me out, I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining or anything. Which probably sounds weird since I’m in this support group to begin with.”

“I don’t think it’s complaining,” Skye offered, “More like venting. Which is supposed to be healthy I think. But I’m no therapist.”

“I hate therapists,” Bailey muttered, “I’ve never seen one I liked, they all say the same thing.”

“I’ve only ever seen one. And that’s only because she’s got some weird crush on my dad and somehow charmed him into keeping her hired.”

“Gross,” Bailey’s nose wrinkled and Skye mimicked the disgust, “you’re dad’s old.”

“I’ve been tempted to try the app Mrs. Silva talked about last week though,” Skye added cleverly, thinking back to her conversation with Ajay, “Just to talk to someone different, and because I think it would be good for me. But I don’t really want to do it alone?”

Bailey stared at her for a minute and Skye felt herself tense under the gaze, afraid Bailey might get angry at the idea of her and Skye signing up for the app together. But after a moment Bailey’s expression softened.

“Therapy only works when you’re willing to talk about what’s wrong,” Bailey’s voice came out softly, almost unhearable, “it’s so hard to talk about, I need to be able to do that before anyone can help, if they even wanted to.”

The haunting image of the empty room came back to Skye, and she instantly felt guilt. 

“Hey, Bailey?”

“Guys! The fire’s started, come back this way!” Rory’s voice drowned out Skye’s. Bailey flashed Skye a gentle smile before starting back over to the rest of the group. Skye followed closely at her heels as the group settled around the growing fire. Mrs. Silva smiled as Mr. Silva excused himself from the group and headed back towards the parking lot. The two sit next to Ajay, who’s actively throwing page after page into the fire, a manic look in his eyes as the fire eats the paper to ash.

“Ajay, is that your math homework?” Bailey asked as Skye settled into the spot next to her. Skye felt Rory hover for a second before sitting on the opposite side of Ajay. 

“It’s old math homework,” Ajay said as he crumpled a few more pages. Math certainly was stressful for Ajay, but he looked rather happy to be burning some own assignments. 

"As I've said before, today we're going to let go of some stress by writing down our stressors and tossing them into the fire as Ajay is so generously demonstrating. However, I ask that everyone shares at least one stressor that they send into the fire.”

Paper was passed out and most of the group started writing things down. A few people spoke up, talking about exams, their anxiety, and a few of the older students pointed out their stress with SATs and college applications. Most of it was normal stressors, so it quickly eased whatever tension built up after Mrs. Silva announced that she’d like for everyone to share at least one.

“I wish I wasn’t as thick headed last year,” Ajay muttered as he tossed a piece of paper into the fire, “I ended up making someone I cared about worry about me because I went off yelling about how I wished I had never complained about my leg. That way my cancer was never caught early and my parents wouldn’t be fighting as much as they did over hospital costs and so on. It was wrong of me to think my death would have been better for my family then speaking up about what was going on.”

“I’m sure they understand,” Mrs. Silva offered, “anger and resentment take many forms, what’s important is that you see how destructive that behavior was, and look how far you’ve come.”

Ajay, to his credit, blushed a bit as he looked at the flame.

“Ajay’s worked really hard,” Rory started, “To overcome a lot, and I think Ajay’s a great example of someone who’s really overcome some of the worst of themselves. I’m really proud of him for it.”

Ajay stammered out some kind of response, getting a teasing laugh from Rory in return.

“Aww, I broke Ajay with my kind and gentle words.”

“S-shut up.”

Ajay blushed for a few more seconds as Rory teased him for a moment more, the rest of the group chucked a little at their usual antics. Skye stared at the fire. Ajay had been very open about what was going on in his mind with them, was it because he went through so much already? He had time to process and learn with Mrs. Silva and Rory beside him to help him grow. And then there was this mysterious Grace character that made Ajay smile wider than anyone else.

Ajay looked like he'd had enough attention for one night, Skye scribed something down and tossed the paper into the fire. 

“I… regret having this feeling that it’s my fault that I needed an organ transplant,” Skye started, slowly and quietly, her words resisting as she pushed them through her throat, “it’s hard to explain. But I feel responsible for someone having to die for me to get the transplant I needed.”

“A vital organ then?” Ajay asked as his gaze softened, Skye could feel his eyes on her as well as Rory and Bailey’s.

“I was diagnosed with chronic heart failure when I was a kid. I was told I was supposed to die and that my heart wouldn’t last me that long. That getting a new heart was unlikely because of how young I was. But then one day I was rushed into the ER, and then when I woke up, for the first time in a really long time I was able to breathe. But then I realized, the only reason I could get that transplant, was because someone had to die first… Sometimes it feels like I killed them, even though I have no idea who they are.”

“Like some kind of fate thing?” Rory asked softly. Skye wasn’t sure, so she just shrugged.

“It doesn’t feel fair, that someone had to die.”

“Skye, you’re not the reason someone died,” Ajay offered softly, “things happen that are out of our control, they’re not reflections of you. You don’t have to feel responsible for that.”

Rory pulled something out of their pocket as they stood up and walked around. They sat in front of Skye as they pulled a card from their wallet and handed it to her. Skye took it and after a moment realized it was a driver's license.

“I don’t know if this helps, but try to keep in mind, you didn’t steal anyone’s life or their organs. organ donors consent to helping people in case they die,” Rory pointed to a small “D” on their license, “This icon means that in case I die, it lets the doctors know that I’ve consented to donating my organs, eyes, or tissue to save someone else's life. You can’t steal something that someone said you could have.”

Skye started at the icon, truthfully no one had really explained to her that organ donors were a thing, that people consented to having their organs donated when they died rather than having doctors just harvest them when they needed them when someone died. The way her parents always talked to her about it made it seem like… Skye had stolen something, like she was a thief or had something to do with someone needing to die. As if the doctors had been paid off to let someone die so that she could live.

Skye had never once thought that someone outside of her parents had something to do with her receiving a heart. Her parents always made it seem like they paid for it, that they had gotten in by throwing some money around, so Skye never thought that it was something like that. It was a strange, overwhelming feeling of relief. Before Skye can process it, her eyes are blurring with tears. Skye felt someone’s hand wrap around her wrist gently. She turned to see Bailey had moved closer, resting her hand on Skye’s as the redhead started to shake. 

Skye spent so many years feeling like a murderer. That the idea that she had been wrong the entire time stunned her to a strange, happy, remorseful silence. Rory gently took their license back before leaning up on their knees to wrap their arms around Skye’s shoulders gently. It’s a quick hug and it clearly wasn't on par with a Bailey hug. Rory seemed to be doing it more because it seemed like something they should do instead of then genuinely wanting to. It was highlighted by the not so subtle way Rory glanced over at Bailey, almost like they wanted Bailey to see how sincere and nice they could be to Skye. Rory returned to their seat. The circle fell into silence, a comfortable one as people turned their attention to the fire, giving Skye a second to relax without a stressful gaze on her.

Bailey had reached over to touch Skye's arm, cleaning closer with a mixed look of determination and fear in her eyes.

"Don't let Rory stop me," it's barely a breath against Skye's ear before Bailey's hand disappeared and the blonde stared into the flame, much like Skye had before, "I regret being the reason my brother's dead."

It was loud, angry, sad, hurt. The words left Bailey's throat in a rush as Rory almost immediately stood up. Skye doesn't know when she moved, but within a second she had positioned herself between the two, stopping Rory in their tracks with a confused look.

"It was so stupid," Bailey's voice turned strained against the words, "we were arguing about who could sled down the huge hill on Elm Street faster. You're not supposed to slide down the hill, because of how steep it was and how bad traffic was towards the bottom. But it was quiet and we thought it'd be okay, so we lined up our sleds and started racing down anyway. We were about halfway when I finally chickened out and jumped off the sled. Casey kept going, and all of a sudden this parked car on the street swung their door open and caught Casey and knocked him off his sled and into the snow."

"Bailey, stop, you don't have to-"

"Rory," Ajay's voice cut in, a bit of a protective edge to it as Rory tried stepping closer to Skye and Bailey, "wait, let her finish."

"Casey was bleeding, he hit his head really hard when he fell back. The man that stepped out of the car just kept screaming at him because his sled scratched the door of the car. We didn't know what to do so we ran. Casey started getting sick, he started throwing up as we made our way home. His winter cap was sponging up the blood from the back of his head. We barely got back to the diner when he collapsed. Our mom ran out and called 911. He was rushed to the hospital and the doctors said he was brain dead due to how hard his head was hit. Apparently it bounced off the car door and then slammed back, his brain took heavy damage and blood was pooling in his skull. He didn't make it through the night."

The entire beach felt like it had stopped. Bailey's voice, Skye never heard it like that before.

"The first thing they asked my parents once they confirmed he was brain dead, was if they would consent to him being an organ donor. Apparently he met all the criteria but he was too young to consent on his own, so my parents would have to for him. I hated the idea that he would be cut open and they'd take parts of him and put them in other people."

Bailey’s voice grew softer until it fell silent. After a moment Skye felt Bailey’s hand gently take her own, giving her a tug back onto the log they were sharing. Skye sat beside her, her knee bumping Bailey’s as the other girl absentmindedly played with her fingers. 

“How does it feel?” Ajay asked suddenly as Mrs. Silva wheeled herself closer, “To get all that off your chest? Both of you?”

Bailey turned her head, catching Skye’s eyes for a few minutes. Emerald eyes searched Skye’s for a few moments before answering.

“Scary and a little nerve wracking,” Bailey admitted, she took a deep breath as her hand tightened around Skye’s, “but, I said it, so there’s no going back.”

“Saying it out loud means you were able to overcome part of it, no matter how small. It’s not acceptance per say, but it does mean you’re not allowing it to control you. You are in control of it.”

It was like watching a weight be lifted from Bailey’s shoulders. Skye watched as the other girl settled into a slightly more comfortable position, though her hand didn’t leave Skye’s. The group moved on to ghost stories, a few of them were tales from others' own time in the hospital. Rory didn’t rejoin the circle, settling for a free space in the area behind Ajay. 

“Do you ever wonder what kind of person you got your heart from,” Bailey asked quietly as they enjoyed the dulling ambers of the fire, “sorry, that sounded weird,”

“No, it’s okay, I get what you mean. Honestly, yes. I’ve wondered what kind of person they were. But I don’t think there’s a way for me to find out. It’s not like the hospital could tell me I don’t think. It’d be nice though, to properly pay respects to them if I could.”

“I wondered what kind of people got Casey’s organs, in a strange way it’s like parts of him are still around… I can’t tell if it’s a comforting thought or not.”

“I feel like it’d feel weird,” Ajay mused, “like if I got a leg from another person I don’t think I’d want to meet that person’s family. I feel like they’d be weirdly attached to me because of my connection to who they lost.”

“True, I’ve read too many articles about people going crazy when they meet the recipient of their passed loved ones organs,” Skye added, “like I don’t want people touching me because I have someone else's heart.”

“I guess people could get weird,” Bailey agreed, “like my dad read an article once of a mother and father listening to the heartbeat of a recipient of their son’s heart and the guy just looked so uncomfortable in the picture of these two people leaning on his chest listening to the heartbeat.”

“I’d flip, I wouldn’t want strangers touching me, that’s why I said pay respects not actually meet them.”

“I think it’s hard for people still grieving, they want to hold on and I think it only makes the person feel weird, like they took something. You did say you felt like you were responsible for someone’s death because you got their heart, but at the end of the day, it’s your heart. Not theirs. You shouldn’t let other people tell you differently just because they’re grieving.”

“That’s a good point,” Bailey agreed, “I wouldn’t want to make the person who got Casey’s organs feel weird. As much as I hated the idea at first, I think my parents made the right choice saying yes. Just because we were losing Casey didn’t mean someone else should die too. They were probably patients like Skye. I guess I’ve just been really curious. He’d probably be really happy to learn he got to save people in the end. It’d be nice to see who he saved.”

“That’s a very positive way to feel about it,” Mrs. Silva smiled, “Casey may be physically gone, but his spirit, his laughter, his memory. Those things you’ll always have. They can’t be lost just because parts of him were used to help others.”

“I think knowing would also make me feel better about the idea of him… you know… Maybe one day I could find someone and then I can see for sure.”

“You haven’t talked this much about Casey in a while.” Rory pointed out from their spot.

“It… feels good. To be able to talk about him without making people sad, I feel like my parents get so upset sometimes, I don’t want to bring him up and hurt them more. But here, it’s different.”

“You can vent to us whenever you want.” 

Ajay’s voice took on it’s usual protective, almost paternal tone. Bailey smiled, relief and sadness filling her face as the group fell back into casual chatter until the cold became too much and the fire slowly died out.

***

The next day was rehearsal. Bailey seemed almost lighter, It wasn’t hard to notice that the other girl felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Skye couldn’t help but smile along with her whenever the blonde passed her backstage, flashing her a dorky smile that was impossible to not give in to. Bailey had also been hitting her lines better today, her tone and delivery more on point today then it had been in previous weeks. Even Ajay looked just slightly impressed, but Ajay had looked unusually happy today. Skye caught him grinning at his phone a few times. A huge happy grin that seemed  _ uncharacteristic _ on Ajay’s face to anyone who didn’t know about the secret friend on the other end of the phone. 

Clint and Natalie were surprisingly catching on, Skye heard them muttering about how weirdly happy Ajay was today. Everyone seemed to be a little lighter, with the exception of Rory, who strangely seemed a little more down then usual.

After one more scene Bailey ducked backstage, grabbing a drink from the vending machine while Skye waited on Trevor’s signal to test out some new motion sensor that he wanted to incorporate into the lights for a particular scene. 

“You seem really happy today,” Skye offered with a smile as Bailey chugged her can of lemonade.

“It’s weird, I didn’t think I’d feel like this after telling everyone about Casey,” Bailey mused quietly, “But, saying everything out loud, it helped in a weird way. I feel like I’m not trying to hide something anymore. I feel like I’m just having a really good day.”

“That’s good,” Skye said softly, “you deserve it.”

Bailey blushed for a moment before Trevor called over from his spot.

“Ok, I think I have it set up, do me a favor and stand where Rory usually does for their monologue scene? Ajay says Rory left early.”

Skye nodded and walked across the stage, standing at the first position of The Knight’s monologue. After a moment she heard Trevor let out a growl.

“It’s not turning on, hey try turning towards stage left and raising your arm like Rory does.”

Skye did as she was told, but still no light. She could see Trevor scratch his head through his beanie on the side. Honestly, Skye hadn’t been sold on this motion spotlight idea to begin with, it seemed to be something that could easily go wrong if Rory stepped wrong, but she’d feel bad if she completely turned down the idea since Trevor hadn’t gotten to work on many of his ideas since they started the play.

“Maybe I have it wired wrong.”

“Maybe your stand-in isn’t tall enough!”

It was a different voice. One that was oddly familiar and yet Skye’s brain can’t really place it. After a moment she felt someone lift her up almost effortlessly, Trevor’s stupid spotlight lit up as the voice behind her chuckled.

“Put me down!”

Skye threw her arm back, annoyed as the stranger dropped her back to her feet and backed up with his hands up. When Skye turned to throw a glare at her attacker, she found herself hesitating. The boy flashed her an all to familiar smile. He’s flanked by a startled looking Rory.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that. It’s been a while though.”

Skye should know him, she feels like she does. He continued to smile at her as she tried to piece it together. He was tall with dark tanned toned skin similar to Rory’s and styled brown hair. She didn’t have to think too long because Bailey came flying from her left.

“Mateo!”

“Bailey!”

The two hug for a moment as some of the other theatre kids gather. After a second the name registered in Skye’s head. Mateo. Hospital Mateo. Boston Edenbrook Hospital Mateo who used to sneak her pudding when he raided the cafeteria and used to chat with her on the off times she was actually awake to chat. 

“Who’s this?” Danielle asked as Mateo and Bailey started quickly chatting.

“This is my cousin Mateo, he’s visiting to look at colleges this weekend.”

“How do you know Skye?” Bailey finally asked as she looked over to the redhead.

“Oh, we were neighbors at Edenbrook’s pediatric wing for a bit.” Mateo said as he waved off the question, “Anyway, Rory’s been telling me all about this play everyone’s doing, I’m really looking forward to seeing it.”

“You’re going to stay to see it?”

“Yeah, since I have some college visits lined up my folks decided I should lend a hand at Rory’s for a bit, so I’ll be here to watch the show.”

Mateo continued to make small talk with the cast and crew. Bailey slipped away after a minute and appeared at Skye's side.

"You and Mateo are friends?"

"Not really, Mateo came to visit me when I wasn't allowed or able to leave my room. He's really Rory's cousin?" Skye asked as she glanced back and forth between the two, they did look similar so it wasn't such a strange thing for them to end up being related.

"Yeah, back when me and Rory were kids, Mateo would come around to play with us from time to time. He's a great storyteller and he made up all sorts of games when we were kids."

They two looked back at the group, seeing Mateo had already captivated the theatre crew with a hospital anecdote.

"There I was, my cancer infected liver confiding me to a bed and only being served  _ vanilla  _ pudding-"

"How do you and Skye know each other? You met in the hospital?"

It was, of course, Danielle pushing again. Mateo frowned a bit, clearly hurt that his tale was being interrupted.

"Yeah, I was diagnosed with potentially fatal liver cancer so I spent about six months in the hospital. Sorry again about picking you up without asking, I always get a little carried away meeting friends outside of the hospital scene."

Mateo directed that statement to Skye, who shrugged it off.

"I wasn't aware you two knew each other," Rory added.

"My parents went to Boston a lot for business, so when they did that I ended up there."

Danielle still had a prying look in her eyes. Skye could see it clear as day, as if a snake were trying to stare Mateo down for more information. Her cold words about Rory only hanging out with Skye because they felt sorry for her buzzed into Skye’s skull for a moment as she watched Danielle force her face from annoyed to curious. The girl was clearly trying to put on an act of being ignorant rather than admit she just wanted some detail to embarrass or use against Skye later.

“Enough, that’s no one’s business,” Ajay stepped in, his usual stern tone paired with his trademark glare quickly turned Danielle away from farther prying. Skye felt a bit of relief in that. It had been so much easier to say everything in the support group, being in front of a pack of theatre kids felt so much scarier. 

"Why don't we all grab a bite? I know this great little dinner that serves the best pancakes in Cedar Cove!"

Mateo wrapped an arm around Bailey and Skye's shoulders as he started walking and describing the Golden Griddle like it was a lost treasure no one had heard of.

"Sounds like fun," Erin laughed as her, Natalie, and Clint trailed behind with Rory. Ajay and Trevor close behind. Ajay talked with the boy Jordan had brought them a few days ago to work on the music for the play. Skye couldn’t remember his name as Mateo continued to lead them down the hall.

Bailey looked so happy, her smile lit up the hall as she traded bad jokes with Mateo. She looked so pretty with that smile on her face, Skye thought before slipping out from Mateo's grip.

"Be right back, I'll meet you guys outside."

"Okay," Ajay called as Skye turned the corner around the rows of lockers. Skye pulled the pack of sticky notes out of her pocket and her pen. She scribbled her impulsive message onto the note with a sketch of a shooting star. As she turned down another familiar hallway she checked over her shoulder before slipping the sticky note into Bailey's locker before she could chicken out like she had last time.

With another shy smile she jogged back around the building to meet everyone else at the parking lot. 

***

Skye realized as their merry gang trampled into the Golden Griddle that she had never been out to dinner with friends before. It was something Brian always bragged about, where he went with his football or baseball friends, what girls came with them, who’s numbers they got. This had a much different feel then Skye had imagined based on her brother’s tales. 

Mateo leads the group to a booth in the corner, Mrs. Jackson laughed as the Theatre club settled into the comfortable red-clothed seats. They ended up being seated: Danielle, Rory, Bailey, Mateo, and Erin on one side while Clint, Trevor, Natalie, Skye, and Ajay occupied the other side. Mateo had a very familiar presence as he captivated the rest of the theatre group with his tales of life in the hospital. It was easy now to see how him and Rory were similar. They fell into a rhythm of Mateo and Rory telling stories as Mrs. Jackson walked up smiling, passing out milkshakes.

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen you, Mateo!”

“It’s really good to see you too Mama J,” Mateo flashed a bright smile, “I only wish I could’ve come by sooner to celebrate being officially in remission.”

“Your mother was telling me! How amazing it was to have the chemo work after so many months,” Mrs. Jackson said in awe, “I’m so happy for you. It must be so exciting to be getting ready to graduate high school and head off to college.”

“Yeah, I mean I’m excited to look at all kinds of colleges, but I haven’t decided where to go yet. I’m thinking of going to college closer to home, but there are some colleges out here that have really good doctor programs that I want to check out.”

“That’s right, your mom told me you wanted to go to medical school and become a doctor,” Mrs. Jackson nodded as she spoke, “that’s an ambitious goal, it suits you. You always did like to push yourself.”

“Aw, Mama J, you’re gonna make me blush. I’m just excited to see so many new places, and to see Rory and all their friends in their play in a few weeks.”

Mrs. Jackson and Mateo went back and forth a bit more, expressing their excitement over Mateo’s remission and the upcoming play. Mrs. Jackson excused herself to take care of a few other tables and give them a few more minutes to decide what they want to order. 

“I really can’t imagine everything,” Danielle started as Mateo finished another tale, “You lived in the hospital that long?”

“Yeah, my cancer was pretty bad, and when the chemo didn’t work right away I got put on a list to wait for a liver donor, but then all of a sudden the chemo started working and the tumors got smaller until I was able to have surgery to remove them completely. Honestly, I’m really happy the chemo kicked in, I was pretty scared being on the donor list.”

“Scared you’d never get a donor?” Erin asked cautiously as Mateo shook his head.

“Scared of having to think about how I got a transfer because someone died,” Mateo said honestly, the smile on his face faded just a tad, “it really bothered me, that’s why I started thinking that if I did survive I wanted to become a doctor. I want to figure out a way to prevent organ donors from having to die. To help save more patients with less trade offs if that makes sense.”

Rory seemed to get a strange look of realization on their face. Their eyes go from Mateo to Skye as if just connected that the two were in very similar situations at one point.

“But Mateo, people who are organ donors, they chose to be. They wanted to help.”

“Yeah but, that doesn’t take away some of the pain on their family’s side. It’s never just the donor, you have to come to terms with the fact that you're alive because someone died. I can’t imagine that kind of burdan on any-”

Mateo stopped suddenly, a look of realization on his face as he and Rory exchanged looks over Bailey, who’s examining Skye’s reaction to the conversation. Bailey looked a bit conflicted and worried, torn between reaching over the table and trying not to expose more of Skye’s story then she wanted to tell.

“I never realized how complex it all was.” Natalie said over the straw of her milkshake, “It makes me feel a little weird about not being an organ donor though.”

“I wonder if that’s a reason why they don’t have organ recipients talk during that sophomore assembly everyone has to go to to talk about how to get your license,” Trevor added, “After hearing how guilty some recipients must feel, it wouldn’t help people sign up to be a donor.”

“I think we’ve talked about this enough,” Ajay intervened, “someone, change the subject.”

“But, isn’t it kind of important to talk about?” Trevor asked, “Mateo’s like, a living person who went through what school assemblies only talk to you about. He’s lived it. And if he’s willing to help us understand-”

“It’s okay, I can answer a few more but then maybe we should take a break.” Mateo offered, “I mean, it’s a lot to take in. I appreciate how curious you guys have been with everything. It’s not really a topic people are willing to hear about. Besides I really don’t want to ruin everyone’s dinner with something sad.”

“Mateo, you don’t have to be nice about it, we’ve figured out that you’re trying to spare Skye’s feelings.”

Danielle just… didn’t stop. And no one said anything. Clint and Natalie had the audacity to look a little shocked, Ajay glared a little and Bailey looked at Skye with a familiar gentle look. There’s a bit of a riff as everyone at the table seemed to be figuring out how to react to it while a little smirk tried to hide on Danielle’s face. It sparked mild anger in Skye.

“I’m just trying to keep anyone from being uncomfortable-”

“No, it’s fine.” Skye snapped, before turning her entire attention to the smirking girl, “You’re right, Mateo is trying to spare my feelings, because I was diagnosed with chronic heart failure as a child and almost died from it. He doesn’t want to talk about the organ donor thing anymore because I needed a heart transplant to live. Now if you’re  _ done _ ? Or did you have something else you wanted to ask?”

Danielle opened her mouth but Ajay cut her off with a quick motion of her hand.

“Enough.”

Skye knew his tone was directed more at Danielle, but it didn’t prevent the feeling in her gut that told her that she should just leave. She had completely ruined the mood of the entire evening, and now everyone sat in jaded silence. 

_ You ruined everything, you should just leave. _

The voice in her head always sounds like her mother. Skye moved her arm to push Ajay a bit. The older boy moved out of the booth and watched in confusion as Skye moved out and immediately turned and headed for the door.

“Skye!”

It was Bailey’s voice, but Skye didn't listen to it as she left the dinner and stepped into the cool early November air.

***

Skye didn’t know what made her go to the ice rink, but it felt like the most natural place to hide. She’d have skating practice tomorrow with Coach Laika anyway, so it only made sense to go over a few more things before then. She still had to pick a song for her long program, and her short program was still being finalized. There was a lot to work on before the last week of November when the qualifier would take place. Typically skaters had more time to work with their coaches then this, but since her parents were so picky about who taught Skye, it led to Skye doing most of the basic work by herself, then having a coach teach her a routine the last few weeks. 

Skye has her phone on shuffle, playing through various songs trying to find one what she felt inspired to skate to. The rink was pretty quiet, there were only a few people hanging out in the stands and maybe three of four actively using the rink. Skye had slipped on her skates and started aimlessly skating around the rink in varying sized circles to different songs. 

The tricky part was finding a song that she could skate to and then finding something under the time restraint of the long program. Long programs had to be between four and five minutes long. Plus most of her typical rotation wouldn’t translate to ice very well, it was either too fast pace or almost impossible to imagine something other than a fast series of jumps.

Skye frowned at the song playing on her phone and hit skip. This was her chance to show herself on the ice, and then maybe when her parents saw it, they would understand. Her parents had always controlled every program Skye had done, and now she had a chance to prove to them that she was capable on her own. Something that she put her heart and soul into. Even if they didn’t come to the play, this would be a second chance to win them over.

Skye’s thoughts are interrupted when someone sat down close next to her. She looked up to see familiar blonde hair as the girl next to her pulled a metal container from her bag, turning to Skye with a smile.

“Hungry?”

Skye was starving, it must have shown on her face because Bailey just giggled and handed Skye the container and a spoon. Skye wasted no time popping the lid open and seeing what was packed inside.

"How'd you find me?"

"Ajay hinted you might have run off here. And since you didn't eat I thought I'd bring you something. It’s my dad’s famous Fall vegetable stew. It’s got marinated tofu, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, sweet potato, peas, corn, and served over rice. It’s one of my favorite cool weather meals,” Bailey explained as Skye shoved food in her mouth, “and I’m not going to take it from you! Slow down, you’ll choke!”

It was strange, Skye hadn’t noticed how cold she had become until the hot container warmed her hands and the food warmed up her insides. Everything about being with Bailey made her feel warmer. The blonde sighed when Skye finally slowed her pace.

“I’m sorry, I should have said something when Danielle was… you know.”

“Being a bitch.”

“Skye!”

Despite the other girl’s attempt to chastise Skye for her wording, Skye could tell by the look in her eyes that she agreed with her.

“It’s okay, I kinda snapped anyway.” Skye looked down at the half-eaten meal in front of her, “Thank you for this by the way, I probably wouldn’t have eaten otherwise.”

Bailey flashed her a worried look.

“That’s not healthy, you know, you have to eat three square meals a day.”

“It’s ice skating season, which means my mom dictates what three square meals a day is to me. She used to make me fast during competitions, she was worried I’d throw up on the ice if I ate beforehand.”

“Well, as long as I’m around, you’re eating right. No fasting, No unbalanced meals!”

It’s a little scary how serious Bailey looked about it too. But it was… oddly warming. Getting food from Bailey felt different then being served at home. Despite both technically being “home-made” meals, Bailey’s food just tasted better. Skye wondered if that had anything to do with her growing feelings for the other girl.

“Mateo is really sorry, by the way, he said he overdid it and he really wants to apologize to you in person.” 

“I’m not mad at him, he doesn’t have anything to apologize for.” Skye said as she went back to her meal.

They fall into a silence for a few minutes as Skye eats. The redhead grew more and more aware of the blonde staring at her while she ate. It was a little unnerving and Skye felt herself eating slower to not look like a starving animal. After a few minutes of awkwardness, Skye turned a little to face the other girl. She opened her mouth to say something to break the silence only to have Bailey beat her to it.

“You’re really brave, telling everyone so bluntly.”

“I’m not brave,” Skye laughed, a cynical sound that held no humor, “I’m impulsive, I snapped because I got angry, it’s the unfortunate thing Brian and I have in common. And then when everyone got quiet, I ran away.”

“I think you’re much better than Brian,” Bailey offered as she looked away with a little smile, “you're much smarter from all the stories I’ve heard about him. You’re kind, you’re a really great friend, you’re much better looking.”

Skye snorted in laughter before she could stop herself, which only caused the smile on Bailey’s face to grow as she listened to the redhead’s laughter echo through the rink. 

“I haven’t seen you smile in a while,” Bailey mentioned as Skye’s laughter died down, “you have such a pretty smile.”

“Y-you said that before.”

“It’s still true, I love getting to see you smile.”

Skye isn’t sure what to say to that, but she found herself smiling at Bailey anyway. In that moment, she didn’t feel like she needed to say anything.

***

The next day felt like someone hit a reset button. At lunch when Skye sat around the theatre kids, no one asked or talked about anything from the night before. Danielle glared a bit more at her, but Skye figured that was more so from Ajay yelling at her then anything else. When Rory walked over, they set a cup of chocolate pudding on Skye's try as they passed.

"Mateo said to give that to you," Rory offered, "said you'd get what he meant."

It was Mateo's default form of apology, Skye sighed to try to seem more indifferent.

"I'm not mad at him, he didn't need to apologize."

"Yeah well, Mateo considers you a friend, so he's not going to half-ass an apology."

The group quickly shifted to chatting about the play. Ajay mentioned they only had about seventy five more tickets to sell and that Jordan had been working overtime to spread the word. The community theatre had also promoted the show on their website and socials.

"We got half a smile from Ajay! That’s almost an approval!"

Clint and Natalie cheered as Ajay shook his head.

"We can't get lazy now, not with the play so close."

Bailey and Erin are last to make their was over. Bailey's already blushing as she takes her usual seat next to Skye.

"What's all the excitement over here?"

"Ajay almost smiled at our hard work," Trevor chuckled as Ajay glared at him.

"Aw, well Miss. Bailey Jackson over here got her first fan letter-"

"Erin!"

The older girl laughed as Bailey buried her face in her arms.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked looking indifferent, but a bit of emotion flashed through their eyes.

"Bailey had this super cute little note in her locker this morning, from a secret admirer."

"Bailey the Heartbreaker," Danielle added suddenly very in tune to the conversation, "what did it say?"

"To the Star who shines brightest on and off the stage. From, Me."

"That's it?" Rory asked.

"There was also a cute little sketch of a shooting star."

Bailey’s ears were bright red under the chorus of "aww"s coming from the theatre kids. Skye fought to keep her own blush off her face as Bailey turned slightly as if using Skye as a shield from everyone else

"It was only a note, it doesn't mean anything." Bailey argued, Rory nodded quickly in agreement.

"It was really sweet, I hope they send you more." 

Erin's voice was supportive, beaming over at the embarrassed younger student. 

"I wouldn't be opposed to that."

Bailey's admission was quiet, but it made Skye's fingers itch to write another note. As Bailey shifted her head a bit, Skye caught the faintest glimpse of that trademark dorky smile on her face. 

If one note made her smile like that, Skye would write a hundred every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eros: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WXwHJkjrNw
> 
> Skye's For Fun Routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KS3cXPSNyA
> 
> Agape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDPPXCZkxR8&list=PLjWV1mzjB5aW7SlfnYdT0M9yDM2yEvFM_&index=11


	8. A Few Good Men

Bailey's smile should be illegal. 

It was far too beautiful for everyone's casual gaze. Yet Skye couldn't prevent herself from wanting to see it every minute of the day. Her notes only grew in volume as she got more comfortable hiding them where only Bailey would find. It started with just the other girl's locker but after a few days Skye grew a little bolder and had noticed that sometimes Bailey didn't zip her backpack all the way when going from class to class. The redhead found herself stealthily slipping notes into her bag when they passed in the hallway and Bailey hadn't seen her.

This changed Skye's entire routine. She got to school early to slip a morning note into Bailey's locker. Then she'd slip one into her open backpack after lunch. And if she was lucky she could slip another one into her folder or script at rehearsal or when the theatre kids hung out after school on non rehearsal days.

Her notes were always simple. A single phrase marked with a little sketch. “To You” and “From Me” doddled in the corners of each note became a signature. Skye tried hard to keep the notes as vague as possible to not tip Bailey off as to who was writing them. Simple phrases in a beautiful little script that Skye had been forced to learn in etiquette classes her mom insisted her and Brian take. Each simple note brought a little smile to Bailey’s face. They could be as simple as “ _ Have a good day”  _ and Bailey would smile. 

It was an obsession, Skye was too aware that it was, but seeing Bailey smile to herself or blush or her eyes light up was like a drug and Skye was thoroughly addicted. Bailey walked around a little lighter now too, with a little more confidence that only made Skye want to be around her more. Torn between staying out of sight and right there with the other girl.

Rory had started acting differently too. They were around Bailey more, always trying to be closer, trying to make her smile. It was clear they were getting a little jealous, but they wouldn't admit it.

"Your admirer is persistent," Erin noted at lunch as she pulled a sticky note off Bailey's lunchbox where it had gotten stuck. Bailey quickly grabbed it, turning red as she glanced over the writing.

"It's kinda weird how they get close enough to slip notes in your backpack but never actually talk to you."

Rory's tone was possessive, their back straightened as if trying to make themselves look bigger. 

"Maybe they're shy," Clint offered, "maybe they want to but get too nervous and do the note instead."

"I'm surprised they're not put off by you and Rory together," Natalie added, "no one can compete with Rory, so maybe they don't see the point in trying."

“Why leave notes at all then?” Erin asked with a raised eyebrow, “I agree with Clint though, they’re probably just shy and these awkward little notes they leave you is their way of mustering up the courage to talk to you.”

"I think they're sweet," Bailey said firmly, "and it's not like Rory and I are dating so maybe they'll get the courage to talk to me someday."

"But you and Rory are so perfect together!"

Natalie's insistence caught Ajay's attention as he looked up from his notes to glare.

"Perfect co-stars I hope you mean."

Not with the way Rory was looking at Bailey. That dream-like look that only someone who liked Bailey would have. Ajay’s stern voice did force Natalie and Clint to change the subject, something Bailey seemed to be grateful for as she smiled at the little note before putting it into her notebook carefully. Rory schooled their features, it was clear the continued notes bothered them, but they typically didn’t bring it up again once the conversation was over. Ajay was quick to shut down any of the theatre clubs meddling, something Skye was grateful for. She worried if the theatre kids looked too long at the note, they might figure out that the sketches on the notes and the smeared writing would be a give away that the notes were coming from her.

The curse of being left-handed it seemed. Skye had tried very hard to prevent her notes from smearing. She failed once, and Erin was quick to pick up on the smear. Thankfully it was a note that Skye had slipped into her bag so it appeared more like the note smeared in Bailey’s bag more than it smeared when Skye wrote it. 

Lunch was coming to an end, Bailey zipped her bag closed this time as she bid the group farewell as she left to run across the school to her history class. Skye and the rest of the group followed in suit. Skye turned down the hallway to head to art, usually she turned this corner by herself. Today Erin turned that way with her. The taller girl didn’t say much, she flashed Skye a smile as she hurried down the hall towards the gym, probably for a volleyball thing. Skye didn’t think much about it as she turned to head to her own class.

***

Skye slipped into the library as school ended. She had to meet up with her coach later today and she’d have to have an idea of a song for her long program by then. The library was quiet and allowed for Skye to blast the music in her ears until it immersed her. It was the easiest way, at least in Skye’s mind, to think about what she’d want to skate to. 

Coach Laika had sent her the audio file for Agape earlier. It was a slower song, something that would appeal more towards delicate motions and spins. So for her main program, she wanted to do something more… her. Skye felt someone sit next to her on the library couch, she turned to see Bailey greeting her with her usual illegal warm smile. Skye removed her earbuds as Bailey subtle scooted closer.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“What are you doing?” Bailey asked quietly as she leaned back against the couch.

“Trying to pick out a song from my long program. For ice skating. Qualifiers are at the end of the month and my mom decided to get me a coach last minute, so it’s a but of a crunch.”

“I think Ajay mentioned something about that,” Bailey mused.

“Yeah, he volunteered to help with the choreography.”

Bailey nodded. Skye paused for a minute before handing the other girl one of the earbuds. 

“Wanna listen with me?”

“I don’t know much about ice skating, I don’t know how much help I’ll be.”

“That’s okay, you can just… listen with me?” 

Skye felt her confidence falter a bit, but Bailey only smiled and took the earbud. Skye scrolled through her playlist for a second before pulling up Agape, noting the bit of surprise on Bailey’s face when the softer cords queued in the earbud.

“This is what my coach picked for the short program,” Skye explained slowly, “My parents are usually pretty strict about what I skate to, but Coach was able to convince them to change my short program and let me pick my long program.”

“It’s really pretty,” Bailey hummed, “not something I could see you listening to though.”

“I’ve been listening to it a lot actually. The way Coach described it to me, this song and the choreography she is teaching me is supposed to express unconditional love. It’s a counter program to the one I did last year. She says I should try to connect with it, but I’m not sure how to.”

“How did you connect to your other programs?” 

“Well, honestly, I think my last program reminded me of my ex, so I drew a little from that. Last year was pretty rough though, so I can’t really say I connected to it that year either.”

“Unconditional love,” Bailey repeated, “I guess that can mean many things. Like unconditional love from a par-pet!”

“You were going to say parent and remembered who you were talking to,” Skye ran a hand through her hair, “I get it, normal people might have that connection. I’m… not that lucky.”

“Frosty loves you,” Bailey offered awkwardly, “pets all give unconditional love. Animals are just like that. And of course there’s… you know… me.”

Skye looked up at Bailey as she said those words. The blonde blushed for a second before quickly added.

“And the rest of the theatre group. All of our friends. I think that can be considered unconditional love.”

“I don’t think Clint or Natalie love anything other than Rory. Danielle too. Trevor isn’t exactly the warmest guy either.”

“But you have me. And Ajay and Rory.”

Skye hesitated, not because she didn’t like or appreciate what the three had already done for her, but because she wasn’t used to considering people friends or even entertaining the idea that people cared about her to the point that she’d call it love. Bailey seemed to pick up on the hesitation.

“Friendship is unconditional love. Because we love you no matter what. Even if you don’t believe us now, give us some time and we’ll prove to you how much you mean to all of us.”

The two sat in comfortable silence, Skye’s eyes staring into Bailey’s green until the sound of Bailey’s phone vibrating caused her to jump. Bailey looked at the screen and flashed Skye an apologetic look.

“I gotta go help my parents at the diner,” Bailey gave Skye back the earbud as the song came to an end, “sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Skye offered as the girl grabbed her bag, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Always.”

Skye watched Bailey leave, a bit of sadness setting in her chest at her time with the other girl being cut short. Skye leaned back on the couch and let the flood of music fill her ears. If Agape could represent the love her friends supposedly had for her, what should her long program song represent? Skye flipped through a few more songs until a particular melody flowed through the earbuds. Skye listened for a few moments before saving the song on her playlist and grabbing her bag. 

***

Skye didn’t make Ajay go to all her practices with Coach Laika, but somehow he always found out her schedule and came along anyway. Research was his reason, if he wanted to help Skye with her long program he needed to know what she was capable of. Today they had run through some basic jumps to try to show Ajay the difference between each one.

“Let’s start with a toe loop,” Coach Laika called to Skye as the redhead glided across the ice before turning to Ajay, “A toe loop is a jump that takes off from the back outside edge of the skate. It launches more from the toe portion of the boot. A loop is a similar jump, but without the toe assist.”

Skye flew into the jump effortlessly, handing an easy double as Coach Laika called out another jump.

“Salchow, this jump takes off from the back inside edge of the skate.”

Skye shifted her weight before leaping into another jump, taking off on the inside edge of the skate rather than outer edge.

“A Flip is similar to a toe loop except the skater takes off from the back inside edge. A Lutz uses the toepick of the skate, jumping from the back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.”

“And then you have the Axel, which is the only jump that takes off by skating forward first, and then landing going backward. It gives the jump an extra one-hundred in eighty degree turn then most other jumps.”

Skye landed the last jump with a slight wobble before skating closer to where Coach Laika and Ajay were seated. Ajay was taking rapid notes however the boy looked confused.

“They all look very similar.”

“They do,” Coach Laika nodded, “but their point values are a bit different and there are different difficulties for the skater. Let’s run through Agape, that might help you see the differences with the spins. Those can be a little easier to identify.” 

They ended up going through Agape a few times. The steps Skye was quickly mastering, a little more fueled about the performance with Bailey’s words still humming in her head. 

“You’re getting the hang of it,” Coach Laika commented as Skye finished another run of the slow paced program, “we can end on that for tonight. I looked over the song you sent for your long program. It’s awfully ambitious to do a song that close to the five minute mark. Even with the editing we did to cut the song down to under five minutes.”

“I know,” Skye nodded.

Coach Laika handed Skye a CD, the outside cover streaked with black ink.

_ Long Program - Skye _

_ This Life Is Mine _

It was just a CD with a song. But it felt like something a little bit bigger. It’s something Skye had control over. It was a part of Skye’s life that she got to take control of. It was like getting a superpower, the ability to choose on her own what she wanted to do.

If Agape was about the unconditional love from her friends, then this would be about how she longed to break away from her abusive family. A battle against her parents in taking back the life they held over her head. It was small… minor compared to actual freedom, but it was a much needed step in that direction.

Coach Laika handed a similar CD to Ajay, who looked over the title briefly before he flashed Skye a bit of a knowing smile.

“We need to move quickly, if you could get something for me to look at Monday we can get to work rehearsing it.”

Ajay and Skye nodded. Coach Laika took her leave as Skye went to change her skates. The new ones that she had bought with Ajay fit so much better. The black and pearlized boots had quickly become something Skye was proud to own. She carefully put them away as Ajay pulled a thermos out of his bag. As he opened it the smell of coffee filled the air.

“Decaf,” Ajay explained as he handed the steaming cup over, “I keep forgetting how cold it can be in here.”

“It’s not so bad,” Skye mused as she accepted the cup, “though maybe I just think that because I’m moving out on the ice.”

“It helps, I have some ideas for the program, but I’m thinking I should listen to the song a few times before I get some things drafted,” Ajay smiled as she gestured to the plastic case, “I’m kinda excited, I never got to choreograph anything on ice before.”

“I’m excited too. To even be able to pick my song felt like a big deal. To pick the entire program-”

“I can see that,” Ajay laughed, “You were smile-y all rehearsal. It’s weird.”

Skye snorted at Ajay throwing her words back at her as she pulled on her boots. The older boy shook his head and pulled out his phone, trying to school his features to prevent from smiling as he typed. 

“Grace?” Skye chanced as the boy turned red and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“None of your business,” Ajay grumbled, “maybe it was.”

“She’s a good friend then?”

“Yeah,” Ajay softened a bit at the edges, “we met at the hospital actually. She was loud, and annoying, and really headstrong.”

Ajay sounded like he wanted to sound annoyed, but a little tone of fondness colored his voice.

“She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and it quickly spread to her lungs. I met her during a time when she was dealing with really aggressive chemotherapy to try to shrink the size of the tumours. She was almost like a skeleton when I met her, I admit, it scared me a bit. Because she was around my age and was dealing with cancer worse than my own. But, I was a bratty kid and I was angry at everything. We really got on each other’s nerves,” Ajay chuckled a bit, “she complained about my snoring, I’d complain about her coughing. We each had bad days where we’d just yell at each other through the wall. She saw some of the lowest points of my life. When it was decided that I would be losing my leg, I admit, I was losing my mind and she helped me. She was probably one of my greatest sources of support through rehab.”

“Where is she now?”

“Portland,” Ajay explained, “her parents wanted to try some experimental drug to help stop the tumors in her lungs. The doctors recommended a hospital in Portland that had a lot of success with that particular drug. It’s slow, but she’s been doing better, the doctors say her tumors are getting smaller and that maybe they could remove them in surgery if they get small enough.”

“Oh.”

The two sat in silence for a few seconds, Ajay’s expression dropped a bit at the mention of Grace’s condition. Despite him saying the drug was working, he still seemed nervous and worried about her. Skye wasn’t sure what to say to help. 

“You said she was headstrong right, I’m sure she’ll be able to get her surgery.”

Ajay smiled at Skye’s words, he took a breath and stood up.

“Yeah, I hope so. We should get going so we don’t miss the bus.”

Skye and Ajay walked to the bus stop together, Ajay’s stop was first so he bid Skye a good night before stepping off. Skye enjoyed the quiet ride as the bus pulled up to her stop a few blocks from her house. 

As Skye stated walking the rest of the way she noticed a few of the houses had swapped out their Halloween decorations for Christmas decorations already. Multi-colored lights and inflatable snowmen suddenly started popping up on lawns accompanied by reindeer and candy canes. The cooler November air felt heavy in her lungs as she walked, breath puffing like smoke from her mouth as she walked around to the front of the house and let herself in.

The first thing she noticed was the strone aroma of food and the music softly echoed throughout. As she walked she became more aware of the voices echoing through the bottom floor from the dining room.

“Must be your daughter,” A familiar voice offered as she heard the clicking of her mother’s heels. Her mother appeared around the corner in a fancy dark blue cocktail dress, her expression souring as she took in Skye’s appearance.

“Why do you look like that?” 

Her mother’s voice was a harsh whisper. Skye could only assume she meant Skye’s more casual clothing and messy hair from skate practice. Skye’s hair remained in it’s messy ponytail that she had thrown it in before practice, bangs sticking to her face where the sweat had dried or cooled against the outdoor chill. 

“I had ice skating practice today.”

Mrs. Crandall pursed her lips for a second before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Very well, come now. The Vidals surprised us with a visit, so you will act charming and darling or there will be consequences.”

Skye didn’t get to answer, her mother grabbed her harshly by the arm and dragged her into the bright dining room. She was quickly met with the usual stoic expressions on Mrs. and Mr. Vidal’s faces. Lilith didn’t appear to be with them. That seemed about right since they had a restraining order on Brian after the last time they had all been together. It was a little surprising, usually her parents told her when they were expecting guests, but judging by how unraveled her mother was, the trip had been a complete surprise. That didn’t seem to be in the Vidals’ usual playbook when dealing with her parents. So there must have been something up. Her mother pasted on a sickly sweet smile as her tight grip weakened and her hands came to rest on Skye’s shoulders.

“I apologize for my daughter’s appearance, she just got back from ice skating. Her new coach is a bit on the strict side I’m afraid.”

“Of course, Lilith’s coach is like that as well.” Mrs. Vidal offered as Skye felt her mother push her into her seat next across from Brian, who looked miserable while he poked at his steak, “it’s encouraging to see you try again. From what I remember last year was rather difficult for you.”

The question was directed at Skye, but her father didn’t give her a chance to answer.

“Yes well, I raise my children to never give up. I find that to be a very important mark of character.” Mr. Crandall said from his spot, a very familiar wolf-ish smile graced his lips, “I only hire the best to help them reach their goals.”

“As it should be,” Mr. Vidal offered, unimpressed, “I do wish that attitude didn’t leak into your son's flirting methods, however. I believe there is where your son needs to learn to give up. Especially if he doesn’t want to risk a sexual harassment lawsuit.”

“I do apologize again for his behavior,” Mr. Crandall flashed Brian a nasty look, “But he’s done well under the restraining order you’ve insisted on.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Mr. Vidal pressed as the cook put a plate in front of Skye before scurrying back into the kitchen, a salad that was sure to leave her hungry, “he did attempt to break it at a party a few weekends ago. You’re very lucky I have patience and that my daughter is so fond of yours otherwise your entire company would cease to exist.”

“I understand,” Mr. Crandall bit his tongue, shooting daggers at Brian before schooling his features, “I assure you I had no idea of that incident. I will make sure Brian understands the severity of his actions. After all I do want to be able to come to an agreement about our most recent business proposition.”

“You say you understand, I certainly hope you can start showing it,” Mr. Vidal scoffed, “we only came by as a courtesy. It’s the last one your family gets. There are plenty of other partners we can sign on to get our foot in the door at Cedar Cove. We don’t need your help expanding our empire.”

“While that may be true, Mr. Vidal, I do have to kindly disagree a bit. My company owns several finance and real estate firms. We could certainly make it very easy for you to obtain prime properties for you companies you want to station here. I’ve already shown you the location that you wanted to see for your new winery. It features some prime areas to grow and process wine.”

“While that is true, there are already many companies already set up in Cedar Cove that I could invest in,” Mr. Vidal took a sip of wine, “Cedar Cove is a hotspot for shopping, food, and entertainment. There’s hot spots for a range of income types from casual dining to michelin star restaurants. As well as high end shopping and entertainment. I’ve already invested in Catch 35 and they’ve agreed to carry Vidal Winery products. I’ve also made deals with Boba Bear and Smoothie Bonanza as investment opportunities. I also find a particular joy in investing in the smaller businesses that decorate Cedar Cove. Tourists find them charming and locals flock to them. I’ve grown increasingly interested in Spinner’s and Java House as well as investments.”

“Java House? Why on earth would that little hole in the wall cheap little cafe interest you?” 

Skye looked up at her father’s unusually loud exclamation. Mr. Vidal seemed unphased, simply sipping his wine.

“Java House’s owner, Mr. Brody Grieves has quite the successful business. Winning best coffee in Cedar Cove three years in a row, connections to the old Grieves Coffee Trading, that small business feel and attention to detail. I’ve already met Mr. Grieves on the idea of an investment. He was quite honest when we spoke, something I value in my business partners.”

“I assure you, we’ve dealt with Mr. Grieves before and we-”

“Are his sister and brother-in-law, he was quite upfront about that as well,” Mr. Vidal finished, “to be honest, I had only approached Mr. Grieves to learn about his family’s coffee trading business and learn more about his cafe, however that bit of information didn’t skate past me. It made me a bit more concerned about the nature of a professional relationship.”

“I assure you, whatever bad blood my brother-in-law and I have would not affect a business deal,” Mr. Crandall trained his voice, “In fact, I’ve been very inspired by your recent investments in small businesses. I’ve got a meeting with the owners of the… the diner my son frequents often.”

“What? You mean the Golden Griddle?” 

“Yes, yes, the Golden Griddle.”

Skye almost did a double take at that new information, though judging by the look on her father’s face, it wasn’t entirely true. Something about the owner of Java House made her father act like he does when he’s losing a good business deal, erratic and loud. Eager to say anything that could turn the tides and pull the deal in his favor.

“Interesting, I’ve heard they were a local favorite. I will be interested to see how that investment works out for you.”

“We’ve shown our hands at our soon to be investments,” Mrs. Vidal cut in, “While I see the merit of your real estate connections, I’m curious what you think you have to offer in terms of business to business investments.”

The conversation redirected as Skye’s brain caught up a bit. A little fear struck her as she realized her father would likely try to hold up his lie by trying to get Bailey and her family to strike a business deal with him. Something that could only end badly for Bailey and her family. But another piece rattled in her brain. The owner of Java House was clearly someone who got under her father’s skin, and he turned out to be her mother’s brother. It seemed strange to her, she’d seen her father around relatives before, and he always got along so well with his own brothers and the very few cousins on her mother’s side that they saw. But Skye had never heard of this uncle she supposedly had. Her mother had never talked about him

Before she knew it, dinner was over and her parents were rushing to see the Vidals’ off. Brian snorted the second they were out of earshot.

“Bullshit.”

“Hey, why do you think dad got so mad over the Java House owner?”

“Sorry, do I look like I give a shit?” Brian snorted, “That’s just some stupid little cafe ugly girls go to when they can’t get a date to take them somewhere better?”

“But the owner is our uncle? He’s mom’s brother according to Mr. Vidal.”

“Yeah, and? Dude’s weird, you’d probably like him.”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he used to hang around but dad got pissed at him and now he doesn’t come around anymore. Like I said, he’s weird like you so that’s why no one wanted him around.”

Brian's snickering was immediately cut off by the sound of their father stomping back into the room.

"The nerve! That man only shows up to belittle us! Who does he think he is? Coming into my home like that just to antagonize me and threaten my company. And now I have to make a deal with some burger pushers just to stay on that bastard’s good side. This is all your brother's fault. That arrogant son of a bitch just had to stick his nose where it doesn't belong."

Mrs. Crandall only nodded her head as her husband stomped around. His eyes finally landed on Skye and he snarked even more.

"Could you look more like a degenerate? The least you could do is not look like a stray cat dragged you in here. And you," He turned to Brian, "imbecile do you want to go to jail? Because Mr. Vidal will warm up with that before he ruins our entire company. After everything I've done for the lot of you, you could try to act like you want to keep a roof over your heads. What good are children like you? Do you two think you’re something special? I could buy and sell a dozen of you on the black market in no time. You two remember that next time you want to disgrace me. Not get the hell out of my sight."

Skye moved a little faster then Brian did. The two headed to their rooms as their father turned his rage to the cook and staff. Brian brushed past Skye on his way upstairs, knocking his shoulder into Skye's as he went.

"Oops."

Brain threw the half-hearted comment over his shoulder as he walked down the hall. Skye ignored the remark and kept on her own path to her own jail cell. The unwelcome hues of pink assaulted her eyes as she set her bag on the floor and walked over to her desk. She queued up her playlist and started on homework. 

Not even an hour in and she could hear her mother's steps and muffled voice as she checked in with Brian. Her voice was always so much kinder when she tried to pacify him, their interaction wasn't long and Skye could hear her mother wish Brian a good night before continuing down the hall.

She tried not to feel so disappointed when her mother's heels clicked past her door, not even slowing their pace.

***

_ To You. _

_ Thinking about you _

_ From Me. _

The note is paired with a little sketch of a dog with a thought bubble surrounding the words. Skye had shoved it into Bailey’s locker a few moments ago before leaning against her own locker, waiting for the first warning bell to ring. A few students had already started appearing in the hallways, the dull roar of voices got louder as the busses started dropping off students in hordes.

She had been thinking about what her father said at dinner, about him wanting to invest in the Golden Griddle to try to get on Mr. Vidal’s good side and about her mysterious uncle who owned Java House. It was strange, Skye always assumed she wouldn’t like any of her relatives, but she was curious as to what was going on between her uncle and father to make him act like that. 

If it was just bad blood, why would her father bend over backwards to try to out-do this uncle whom she’s sure she hasn’t heard of before. Usually her father just snorted at the competition. Maybe it was just Mr. Vidal’s involvement that had him so unhinged last night. Either way, Skye found herself growing curious at whatever family secret lurked between her father and uncle.

“Hey Skye!”

Skye looked up to see the usual bright look on Bailey’s face. The blonde tilted her head.

“What’s on your mind?”

“It’s-” Skye paused, “It’s kind of complicated.”

“Do you want to tell me during lunch? We can eat together.”

“We always eat together.” Skye pointed out as she tilted her head. Bailey shook her head.

“I meant just you and me today. I bought a special lunch, to make up for the one I owe you.”

“The one you owe-oh right. You didn’t really have to pay me back.”

“Well I did anyway. I made something special and I thought we could eat together outside,” Bailey flashed a nervous smile, “and we can talk about what’s on your mind if you want.”

“Yeah,” Skye hummed as Bailey’s smile grew bigger, coaxing a smile from Skye’s lips as well, “I’ll meet you in the courtyard then?”

Bailey did a little jump of excitement as the warning bell sounded. She quickly yelled some remnants of a goodbye as she raced to her locker to get her books for her first class. Skye chuckled after her before heading to her own class.

***

Later that day Skye found herself waiting in the courtyard, it was cooler so there were very few other students eating outside. She did wait long before Bailey burst through the door, an unusually large lunch box in her hands.

“Sorry I’m late! I had to go back to my locker to get everything.”

The blonde’s arms were full, she also had with her a large buffalo check blanket and a thermos that balanced precariously on top of the pile. Skye raised her eyebrow and wordlessly took the thermos and blanket. Bailey smiled sheepishly before leading the way towards the statue of Ollie.

“I thought we could picnic with Ollie!” Bailey announced as Skye put down the blanket, unfolding it and spreading it out against the cold ground. Bailey sat down and started rummaging through the large lunchbox, patting the space next to her eagerly for Skye to sit. The red head did as instructed and was quickly greeted with the smell of warm food.

“I made these this morning. My dad fixed the panini press and I’ve been excited to get to use it again,” Bailey explained as she handed Skye a still warm foil wrapped sandwich, “I wasn’t sure if they’d still be warm. I borrowed this box from my dad. Him and my mom used to go on camping trips and he said this would keep them warm for a while.”

Bailey unpacked her own sandwich and rearranged their space on the blanket before leaning back against the base of the Ollie statue, chewing away at her food. The two sat in a comfortable silence as they ate, Bailey wordlessly offering Skye a plastic thermos cup full of what smelled like hot cocoa as the blonde busied herself with the various containers sprawled about the blanket.

"Thanks for coming to eat with me," Bailey offered quietly as she settled back against Ollie, closer to Skye then before, "I kind of… needed a break from Rory. It sounds really mean but since the notes started coming they want to hang out with me all the time. Sometimes I need a break."

"I'm your break?"

"You're my friend who I like spending time with," Bailey flashed her a smile, "and who I owed lunch too."

"Rory must really like you then." 

"They do, which is why I wanted space. The last thing I need is them confessing to me and then I have to turn them down and ruin our friendship. It’s so frustrating sometimes. I don’t like them like that, but everyone thinks I do. Clint and Natalie never leave me alone about that kiss we have to do together for the play and Danielle keeps glaring at me. On top of that half the school has asked if we’re dating just because Rory’s been trying to stay with me as much as possible to make sure you and Ajay didn’t hurt my feelings."

“When would we have hurt your feelings?” Skye asked honestly, almost fearful that she had done something to upset the other girl.

“You didn’t. Rory got weird when I decided to tell the support group about Casey. Honestly, I think I needed to say it. After watching you and Ajay open up, it encouraged me to do it as well. It felt better, finally getting everything off my chest. Honestly I think the only reason I never told anyone was because Rory always insisted that I didn’t have to. It gave me an out. It made me choose the easier path rather than just facing it. But you and Ajay charged into it head-first and I wanted to be like that. Instead of letting it control me.”

“Did you try explaining that to Rory?”

“Yes, so many times!” Bailey threw her hand up half-heartedly to prove her point, “Rory still thinks I was pressured or something because you and Ajay were being so open about it and they thought you were pressuring me because you always hung out and talked with me before group therapy. I told them no, that I vented to you about some things and then they get defensive. Why didn’t you come talk to me, I’m always there for you and all that.”

Bailey sighed, leaning over until her head hit Skye's shoulder. The redhead froze a second at the contact, her heart picked up pace and she worried the other girl could hear it.

"I love Rory as a friend, they’re one of my best friends. But I don’t like them like they like me, and I don’t like that I can’t talk to them about certain things because they want to protect me from everything.”

Skye hummed resting her head a bit on Bailey’s in thought.

"Sorry I have no idea how to help you here," Skye whispered into the air between them.

"It's okay, venting to you makes me feel better. Besides, this is a me problem that I have to sort out with Rory. So just tell me I did good even if I end up hurting their feelings, okay?"

“Deal.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, Bailey not moving from her spot half cuddled into Skye. It was a comforting warmth as Skye's mind wandered back to her father’s exclamation about the Golden Griddle and trying to outdo her uncle for Mr. Vidal's approval.

"You've got that look again," Bailey’s voice suddenly broke Skye from her thoughts, "what's on your mind?"

“It’s weird. My dad flipped out last night after a business dinner with a prospective partner. Apparently this partner’s new thing is investing in small businesses and my dad got really angry when he brought up this one business he was looking to invest in. Then he comes up with this idea to say he’s going to invest in The Golden Griddle.”

Bailey’s head shot up, the blonde looked over at Skye wide-eyed. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Skye sighed, “that my dad is probably going to be a pain in the ass to your parents trying to get a deal with them so he can look good for this other rich guy.”

“Should we be worried?” 

Skye looked over at Bailey’s concerned green eyes. Honestly, Skye didn’t know if her father would go through with the idea of pestering the Golden Griddle. With Mr. Vidal involved, anything was possible and that’s what worried Skye the most. The unpredictability of the situation made her feel like she was walking on eggshells until her father made a move to show which way he was going.

“I don’t know,” Skye answered honestly, “to be honest, I’ve never seen him get that mad at something like that. It wasn’t so much that Mr. Vidal was investing in small businesses as it was him getting mad at him investing in that particular business.”

“What business?”

“The Java House? Apparently my mom’s brother owns it and that seemed to set off my dad when Mr. Vidal brought it up.”

“So your uncle owns that coffee shop Ajay likes?”

“Seems so.”

“What if we went and talked to him then? Maybe we can figure out what’s going on before your dad starts to try to talk to my parents.”

“I’ve never,” Skye turned away, hesitating, “I don’t think I’ve ever met my uncle before, so I’m not sure what he’s like. He might be just as horrible as my father is.”

“You’ve never met him?”

“I don’t know, to be honest, my memory of before I was in the hospital is really blurry. And most of my time in the hospital is blurry, so even if I did meet him pre-surgery, I wouldn’t remember it.”

The silence stretched as Bailey seemed to think for a moment.

“Well, we don’t have to do anything right now, let’s wait it out and see if your dad makes a move first. Then we can try your uncle. We can even have Ajay come with us. That way it’s three against one.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Skye nodded as the bell rang. Skye stood up and offered a hand to Bailey. The blonde’s hand wrapped easily around Skye’s, the two seeming to fit together perfectly as Skye pulled her to her feet. She helped Bailey collect the scattered items from their picnic and pack everything up before they headed to the doors. As soon as they slipped into the warm school the sounds of students leaving the cafeteria filled the halls and Bailey bid Skye a quick farewell before running to her locker to get everything put away and get her stuff for her next class.

Skye watched her go for a few moments, hoping that this thing with her father would just pass without incident.

***

Skye should have known she would never be so lucky where her father was concerned. That night Skye had been laying in bed rewatching the first season of It Lives when she got a message from Bailey.

_ Bailey: Your dad sent us a letter about him investing. It looked pretty not optional. _

_ Skye: Yeah, that’s kind of how my dad works. What did it say? _

_ Bailey: That he’d hate to see something happen to the diner and us not being about to financially support it. _

Bastard. There were a slew of names that came to Skye’s head at that moment. Of course her father would take something from Mr. Vidal seriously. Skye took a breath before sending the next message.

_ Skye: Should I text Ajay? We can head over to the Java House after school tomorrow and see what’s going on. _

_ Bailey: Are you okay with that though? I don’t want to put you in an uncomfortable situation. And I don’t want things to get harder for you at home if your dad finds out you went there. _

_ Skye: It’s okay. I’ll take care of it. _

Truth be told, Skye was scared. If her father did find out, what would happen to her? Skye pushed those fears away as she looked over Bailey’s text messages. There was no way she was going to let her father harass Bailey or try to take the Golden Griddle away from her just because he wants to impress some other old rich guy. Skye put her phone away, making a metal note to text Ajay in the morning.

***

Ajay agreed pretty quickly to come with them when they told him what was going on. They took the bus to the stop nearest to the coffee shop, Ajay leading the way like a commander ready for battle. He stood up taller then normal with his chin up and metal leg ready for a fight. 

The Java House looked much like Skye remembered it from the last time she talked to Ajay. The warm dark wood tones were just as welcoming as they had been before. The smell of coffee and pastries hung in the air with the soft sound of chatter from the few occupied tables. Ajay walked over to his usual booth and tried to get the attention of a waiter while Skye and Bailey sat on the opposite side, far more timid then he was in this situation. 

After a few moments a young man walked over with a notepad ready to order. Ajay of course wasted little to no time.

“I was wondering if the owner was available right now?” Ajay asked as the waiter seemed more baffled at the question than anything, “is Mr. Grieves available?”

“Sorry, he’s out right now. His wife is still here though. She's the partial owner so if you want I can bring her over.”

Ajay nodded.

“Can I bring you any coffee or something while you wait?”

It’s a bit awkward ordering after that, but the waiter takes their orders anyway and says he will get them out to them as soon as possible. He disappeared for a few minutes before returning with the drinks, saying the owner would be with them shortly. Skye couldn’t help but feel nervous. They waited for a few more minutes before a woman walked over to the table. The woman looked to be in her early forties, black hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark brown color and her skin held a natural olive tone. The woman wore darker makeup and black lipstick as she rounded the corner and stopped at their table. Her apron was covered in splashes of flour that also seemed to appear on the black dress she wore underneath. 

“Can I help you?” The woman asked kindly, her voice soft as she looked around at the faces on the table. Her eyes stopped at Skye for a moment before Ajay spoke.

“We’re looking for the owner, Mr. Grieves, the waiter said he was out and that we could talk to you.”

“Yes I'm afraid you just missed him. He's gone on a quick errand and should be back within an hour.. What were you looking to talk to Brody about?”

Her eyes looked over to Skye again and Skye felt herself shrink in on herself a little at the gaze. It wasn’t unkind, but it was a little overwhelming to be meeting someone that she was supposed to be related to and felt like she was meeting for the first time. 

“... your hair.”

The woman’s voice was soft, a bit of recognition in it. The words seemed to confuse Skye enough to have the redhead look back up at the woman.

“Sorry, that sounded horribly weird. It’s just… you have a very similar color to my husband, he has that coppery toned red as well. I haven’t really seen it on many other people. It’s a lovely color.”

The ramble exposed a bit of how nervous the woman had become after her blunt exclamation. 

“I apologize, you said you wanted to talk to Brody about something.”

“Yes, we wanted to talk to him about Mr. Vidal actually,” Ajay said bluntly, “it’s kind of important.”

“Mr. Vidal,” The woman repeated, “he is a customer of ours, though I'm not sure how helpful we'd be. Mr. Vidal only really stays for a coffee or two. He doesn't talk much.”

“I see.”

“Unusual that you would be asking about him. Mr. Vidal doesn't come around a lot. To my understanding he's a prominent businessman and Vineyard owner but that's really all he talks about,” Her eyes looked over to Skye again, this time Skye caught her look. It was a strange look, like she was afraid of something about Skye.

“We’re actually hoping to talk to him about Mr. Crandall as well,” Bailey added bluntly, “Mr. Crandall has been hanging around my parents’ diner and has made some… aggressive attempts to get us to let him invest in the diner. Since he seemed upset with something involving Mr. Grieves, we were hoping to get to the bottom of it.”

“Strange, I'm a bit familiar with Mr. Crandall but I can't really see how all three are connected. Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if there was some tomfoolery between the three.” the woman flashed a bit of a smile, “and I believe you heard of Mr. Crandall’s anger over whatever it is straight from the horse’s mouth?”

Skye met the woman’s eyes again and looked away, this caused the woman to break out in a warm laugh.

“I’m sorry, but you're just as quiet as you were as a child.” 

Skye’s eyes widened as the woman’s laughter died down, she looked over at Skye with a bit of a sad look. There was something familiar about her laugh, and about her smile, that caused the back of Skye’s brain to buzz in realization. A strange feeling of deja vu. Like part of her remembered something but wasn’t sharing it with the rest of her head. 

“You came out here because your friend was in trouble, correct?”

Skye nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds like the Skye I know,” The woman’s smile grew brighter, “I haven’t seen you in years, look at how tall you got.”

Ajay snorted and Skye had the urge to kick him under the table.

“I’m a bit surprised to see you, I didn’t think your parents talked much about us.”

“They don’t,” Skye finally spoke, “Mr. Vidal said it actually.”

“I see, and it made your father angry,” the woman looked down, “I’m sorry to hear that. Though I'm not sure why Mr. Vidal would bring us up.”

"It's a long story."

“So you remember Skye?” Bailey asked suddenly. The women’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Of course I do! I used to help her mother after Skye was born. She was such a little thing,”

“Still is,”

“Shut up.”

“And so quiet and well behaved. She was a great little kid. She was so smart too. The teachers used to say they wished they had a class full of Skyes. She was easy to babysit too when her parents were out on business. She'd sit quietly for hours with a piece of paper and a crayon. It was so cute.”

Skye felt her face grow warm at the flood of complements.

“Why the sudden stop then?” Ajay asked bluntly, “I mean, It doesn’t seem like you and her parents are close anymore.”

“No,” the woman looked away, “that was a nasty slew of incidents. I’m sure you don’t want to get into it all right now.”

“We might need to though,” Skye argued, “otherwise my dad will keep giving Bailey and her family trouble.”

“I understand, but that’s a lot to unpack dear, are you sure you want to dive into all of that?”

“If it gives us what we need to make my dad back off then yeah.”

“Brody would be the best to explain then. I was a bit in the dark myself. But if getting your dad to back off is all you need, there is a way to do that as well," the woman explained, "maybe you don't remember her though?"

"I don't remember a 'her.' But I don't remember you or Mr. Grieves either."

"I guess that's to be expected, a lot happened in that short time. You were overloaded with a lot of things," the woman nodded before her eyes lit up, "I'm so sorry, I never introduced myself when I walked over did I? Nico Grieves, and it's very nice to meet some friends of Skye's."

"Bailey," Bailey sat up straighter as she realized she had also forgotten, "and Ajay and you know Skye so."

“It’s lovely to meet you, can I get you anything while you wait for Brody? Oh! I have a fresh batch of cookies in the oven, I’ll bring a few over once they're done.”

Nico smiled brightly, rushing back to the kitchen before anyone could object to the cookies. Skye’s left a little exhausted by the entire interaction. This woman was so nice… but was she being honestly nice or some kind of fake nice to get something from her? Was it even possible for anyone in her family to be genuinely nice? Skye felt a little lightheaded thinking about everything, the room dulled a bit to a numbing fog, noise drowning out a bit until she felt Bailey’s warm hand wrap itself around hers. The blonde looked at her with concerned eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, this is just a lot.”

“Do you want to leave?” Ajay asked, “I can leave the money and we can go?”

“No, it’s okay,” Skye assured as she tried to focus more on the surrounding area, but everything beyond the table felt distorted and far away, “I think I just need some air, I’ll be right back.”

Bailey let her out of the booth and Skye ducked out the way they came, turning the corner so Bailey or Ajay couldn’t see her lean heavily against the brick of the building. The cool air rushed into her lungs, creating a very specific burning sensation that helped defog a bit of her head.

The entire interaction had left her dazed and confused. Her mind kept battling back and forth over whether or not the woman was truly kind or if it was a trick. Were her kind words a facade or the truth? Skye was used to a certain way her relatives acted. Outside of her parents, the only people she’s met in her extended family had been her father’s brothers and their families. They all acted cruel in their own ways. They spent most of the evening chatting and smoking horribly smelling cigars while the wives gossiped and drank too much wine. Then there were her cousins. The ones she’s met anyway were too similar to Brian for her to get along with. 

But was her mother’s side of the family really capable of being this nice?

“Hey kid, are you feeling alright?”

The voice held a gravel to it as Skye looked up. The man standing before her looked on with a concerned look in greying blue eyes. His hair was a dull copper-toned red which faded into the stubble of a beard on his face. He was tall and wore a black button up shirt with a gold name tag and dark pants. He’s not standing particularly close, but Skye could still make out the darker coffee smell coming off him.

It’s strange, because a small part of Skye’s brain remembered something about him. It was a very dull piece, like when something felt familiar but you couldn’t trace what it was. It was the same feeling that went off in her head when Nico laughed earlier. It was like trying to pull a very vague memory from her head that just wouldn’t clear up for her.

“...Skye?” The man asked more than anything, his look almost incredulous at the very idea. Skye only nodded, the man smiled gently, “I thought so, you still look a lot like your mother. It’s almost surreal seeing you almost all grown up now.”

There’s a bit of silence between them. After a second the man gestured back into the coffee shop.

“Nico’s been texting me like crazy that you wanted to talk about something.”

“Yeah,” Skye said quietly, The man nodded, quickly adjusting the bag in his hand to open the door. Skye moved inside and soon the two walked over to the table. Bailey was the first to stand, offering Skye her seat back as the man stood at the head of the table.

“Brody Grieves,” The man introduced himself, offering his hand to Bailey first, who met him in a quick handshake before he turned to Ajay and offered the same, “Nico said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes, sir,” Bailey started, “we were having an issue with Mr. Crandall that we thought you could help with.”

Bailey ran through the situation again, Brody listened intently, his hand raising to his chin in thought.

“Sounds like him. Honestly I’m not really on buddy terms with Mr. Vidal, he comes by often and he’s shown an interest in the Grieves Coffee Company, but we never made any deals. What did you say your parent’s place was?”

“The Golden Griddle.”

“No kidding? They have the best pancakes.”

The statement made Bailey sit up straighter in pride, her smile getting a little wider at the mention. It quickly faded however as her green eyes studied the still uneasy looking Skye next to her.

“Anyway, Mrs. Nico said you might be able to help keep Mr. Crandall from making good on his threats.”

Brody nodded, his eyes flashed genuine concern for the issue at hand, it was strange seeing him look so much like her mother, but having the kind of kindness in his eyes that Skye wished she could see in her mother’s eyes.

“Yeah, I know someone,” Brody smiled a little, “I’m not sure Skye remembers her, but there are a few off-colored Crandalls I can get in touch with to make Roger back off. Do you remember Audrey?”

Skye shook her head.

“Though not, anyway she’s a lawyer now and the head of the Crandall Law Office, she’s the best person to get in contact with if you need Roger or any Crandall to back off. I can give her a call for you, Roger won’t be bothering you again.”

There’s a bit of silence, Brody clasped his hands together glancing over the group as if seeing if there was anything else needed from him.

“It’s that easy?” Bailey finally asked, “You can make them stop just like that? How do we know you’re not lying.”

“You’re more than welcome to call her yourself,” Brody offered, “I can give you her card. Audrey’s a bit of an off-colored Crandall. She’s got a bit of a grudge against the rest of the Crandall family because of what her father did to her brother. She’s got a reputation as one of the most ruthless lawyers the Crandall family has ever had and she doesn’t play favorites. She’s not afraid of going toe to toe with any of them. That makes her a very powerful ally, she’s certainly been a great help back when Nico and I were under your father’s fire.”

“What happened?” Skye asked suddenly.

“It’s a long story kiddo, and I’m sure everything has been a little overwhelming enough today.”

“We have time.”

Skye’s voice doesn’t come out with half the confidence she wanted it too. Brody ran a hand through his hair, clearly conflicted with it.

“If you really want to know, I can tell you my side of the story.”

Skye nodded and Ajay immediately moved over on the both, offering it to Brody so he could join them. Brody only nodded before sitting down and taking a calculated breath.

“I guess I should start from the beginning…”

***14 YEARS AGO ***

Brody signed as he waited in the hospital waiting room. It had only been hours before that his sister texted him that she was having the baby and that he needed to get there quickly to watch Brian. Brian was a decent kid at two years old, but he was a little unruly. Brody supposed most boys were. 

It felt like a strange curse being in the maternity wing of the hospital. The last time they were there was a few weeks ago. Him and Nico had been trying to start a family and were recently told by the doctor that it wouldn’t be happening and that their unborn child had been lost only a few weeks after Nico took the test that confirmed she had been pregnant.

Nico took it so much harder, the woman was barely able to eat for weeks and was still seeing a therapist since the loss. It felt a bit cruel that they were currently left to look after his sister’s child while she had another. They were so lucky. Able to have such a nice little family. Brody tried not to be too jealous, after all, it wasn’t like his sister hadn’t married one of the biggest assholes on the planet. Sometimes Brody didn’t know what she saw in that stuck up suit. 

Nico sat on the floor passing a ball back and forth with Brian, trying to correct him when he threw it too hard. The boy only laughed, clapping his hands together as he played. He had this off color of red-orange hair that stuck out against his pale skin and freckles. He was a handful, Brody laughed a bit.

“Want to trade?” 

Nico shook her head. Brody didn’t blame her, this was closest she would come to being a mother right now. Their next steps would be looking into adoption, but with the miscariage so soon, the doctors had recommended getting psychological help before they decided on that to ensure that the child wouldn’t be placed in a damaged household.

Brody tried not to take too much offence to that, but he understood where they were coming from. 

After a few moments a young doctor walked in.

“Grieves?”

Brody looked up.

“You can come back now.”

Brody got up and picked up Brian, the toddler objecting to it a little.

“Come on kid, you’re going to meet your little sibling.”

They walked down the hallway through the path of rooms filled with new mothers and crying children. They soon stop by one of the largest rooms in the hospital. Brody rolled his eyes, of course they had gotten a luxury room.

When they stepped into the room, Roger looked pissed off to new ends. Loretta was still in bed, looking a bit annoyed at the young nurse helping her. 

“What’s going on?” Brody asked.

“It’s a girl,” Roger filled in, “the hospital must have made a mistake.”

Brody raised his eyebrow as he set Brian down on one of the chairs and walked over to the little crib the baby was in. The nurse started talking again.

“Ma'am, the doctor already confirmed it is your child.”

The baby was small, a tuft of bright red hair was a dead giveaway that the hospital hadn’t swapped babies.

“Unless there’s more then one ginger baby in this hospital, I’d say they’re pretty on the money.”

“Mrs. Crandall, you really don’t want to hold your daughter?”

“Crandall men don’t produce daughters.”

Brody rolled his eyes.

“Your brother had a girl, are you really having a temper tantrum about this?”

Roger only grumbled, he took Brian by the hand roughly and left the room. Loretta turned on Brody.

“Look at what you did.”

“Me? He’s bitching about having a girl. Tell him to grow the fuck up. And what the fuck does he mean 'Crandall men don't produce girls?' His brother has a daughter, unless he's not counting Audrey.”

“Your daughter has to eat. Are you going to breast-feed or are we going to have to prepare a bottle,” The nurse cut in more insistently. Brody felt bad for the woman, she looked tired.

“I’m exhausted, get the bottle.”

“Would you like to feed her?”

“I told you, I’d like to rest.”

“Are you… forget it, I can do it,” Brody sighed, the nurse nodded her head and went off down the hall. Brody shook his head at his brother-in-law and sister’s reaction to having a girl. He looked over to see Nico smiling down at the baby.

“Loretta, she’s so beautiful. She looks just like you.”

Loretta was a funny person, Brody had come to this conclusion about his sister. The second someone praised her, her attitude completely changed. She lived for the praise and attention and it drove her to be the kind of shrewd business woman she had become.

“I suppose at least she will have looks going for her.”

“Have you decided on a name?” Brody asked as he looked over at the whiteboard in the room. The name area was blank.

“We only had boy names picked out. Roger was sure we were having another boy. Now I need to think up a girl name. We were really looking forward to another young man around the house. Roger picked out a few good ones. We were thinking of Malcolm, Jack, Skyler, or Logan.”

“You could still use one of them,” Nico insisted, “Jackie or Skye would be lovely. Logan would work for a girl too.”

“Brody, you choose,” Loretta said, “I really don’t want to think anymore about it. Besides, this could be your only chance to name a baby.”

Brody bit down a nasty comment as he watched Nico’s face fall. When the nurse came back with the bottle Loretta confirmed that Brody would be filling out the birth certificate. The nurse nodded before setting Nico up to feed the unnamed baby while Brody was free to fill out the paperwork. He looked over at Nico, smiling softly at the little infant. She was gentle as if the infant was made of glass.

He supposed that was a good way to handle babies. They were so fragile and small. The little girl cooed and made little noises as she ate. The nurse supervised, explaining that being a few days early they wanted to double check that she didn’t have issues eating. 

Brody looked back at the certificate before letting the pen flow.

_ Skye Elise Crandall _

Elise was their mother’s name. A woman who’s funeral Loretta missed. A little hostile part of Brody’s mind wanted the little piece of payback. His sister could be so selfish. He only wished she’d grow to understand how lucky she was to have been able to have children like Brian and Skye.

If there was a God, this little girl would be karma. Something to make Loretta see how lucky she was rather then demand more.

***

As the weeks went on, Brody noticed something rather odd. Loretta was inviting them over more often. Nico was over at their house almost five days a week to watch Skye for them. The little girl was growing fast, her bright red locks the envy of most of the other Crandall women who found the little girl absolutely adorable. 

Nico had also stopped showing interest in adopting, her entire life now revolved around helping Loretta with Skye. Brody had admittedly started to get worried. So today he had decided to go over with Nico to watch Skye for his sister and brother in law as they went out to dinner with potential business partners.

Brian didn’t want to go, that was clear by the way the toddler refused to put on his vest. He seemed slightly more reluctant when he found out Brody was there to watch Skye with Nico.

“It’s okay little man, we’ll hang out later. I bet you’ll get some good food with your parents anyway,” Brody tried to placate the whining boy. Roger only snarled at him, grabbing Brian with more force then Brody found necessary to move a small boy as they left the house. 

“I’m worried about Loretta,” Nico commented from the kitchen as Brody held Skye. At a few weeks old the little girl’s bright blue eyes were open but she couldn’t really do much else, “she’s been really strange about Skye.”

“Strange how?”

“She never wants to do anything with her. If she had it her way I’d been here seven days a week looking after her,” Nico explained, “I don’t think that’s healthy for me, I really do want to help her if she’s having a hard time, but she’s choosing not to spend time with Skye.”

“Her husband just has a bug up his ass about having a girl instead of a boy,” Brody rolled his eyes. “Crybaby, I bet he’s bitched to her about it for the last few weeks.”

Nico hummed.

“I hope you’re right. She’s such a good baby, Loretta’s lucky.”

“Yeah,” Brody hummed as Nico prepared the infant’s bottle, “but that’s my sister, she’s never been the most affectionate person.”

“But this is her daughter! She has to feel something for her. Look at how beautiful she is. She's perfect, even the nurses commented about how calm and well behaved she is.”

“I'm not sure babies know how to mis-behave. Anyone I wouldn't worry about Loretta. She’s probably just in a slump because of Roger, I’m sure once he calms down she’ll be more involved.”

***

Weeks turn into months and months turn into years. It never gets better. Nico was almost a live-in nanny. At almost five years old now, Brody was pretty sure Skye knew Nico more then her own mother. But that had a strange effect. Skye was constantly trying to get her mother’s attention. Being so polite with the other adults her mother and father spoke with at dinners. Not causing any trouble. She was a perfectly behaved child. The little girl was in kindergarten now and took time to tell her mother about everything she learned and how well she did. Loretta only ever half listened and even that was a blessing.

It was Alex’s sixth birthday. Brody remembers Ben Crandall wanting to get into the coffee trading business, so he had invited Brody and Nico as well as Brody’s father to try to sweeten some deal. Alex was a good kid though, he was quiet and soft-spoken like Skye was. Audrey on the other hand. That girl was a powerhouse. At fifteen the girl could hold her own with the other lawyers at her father’s firm. Her mother was sure Audrey was going to grow up to be a successful lawyer like her father. Only her father thought it was foolish for Audrey to waste her time trying to compete with men.

It was Audrey who approached him when it happened. The dark auburn hair was easy to spot in the posh white crowd.

“Uncle Brody,” The girl called, “Have you seen Uncle Roger or Aunt Loretta? Skye isn’t feeling well.”

Brody looked over at the girl and immediately felt a spring of panic flow through him. The girl was pale, ungodly so, and was coughing harshly into her hand.

“Hey kiddo, what’s wrong?”

Brody kneeled down to be eye level with Skye, he reached out a hand only to be horrified with the sight of Skye moving her hands from her mouth, revealing a puddle of bright red blood flowing out of her mouth.

“Audrey, call nine-one-one.”

Brody handed his phone to the capable teen who quickly dialed the number and raised the phone to her ear. A few bystanders shrieked at the blood flowing down Skye’s jaw and continued to hack up. 

“Skye!” Nico was quick to his side, she knelt down to examine Skye, looking first for any injury the blood was coming from and quickly getting more panicked at the lack of open cut or injury. 

Brody watched in horror as the light seemed to leave the little girl’s eyes as she passed out, the following chaos blurred as EMT’s rushed to the scene a few seconds later.

***

Roger and Loretta are the last ones in the waiting room. Brody’s jacket was splattered with hacked up blood as he and Nico waited impatiently for the doctor to give them some kind of news.

“This better be good, you certainly caused a scene,” Roger scoffed as him and Loretta took seats across from Nico and Brody. They weren't there long before the doctor appears, looking grim.

Brody doesn’t remember any exact words, or anything other than those three words leaving the doctors lips as he explained the series of tests they ran.

Congestive Heart Failure

***

Nico took the news worse than anyone. Skye was in and out of hospitals for months. Now officially on the donor list waiting to receive a new heart, it was the only thing that would save her. Typically the wait was three years according to the doctor. But that proved difficult when Roger and Loretta resorted to parading Skye around from city to city with them on business trips now that bleeding hearts wanted to invest in a company who knew the burden of a sick child. Needless to say, the sexist comments from Roger had died down a bit, replaced with remarks about how easy people were to manipulate.

It made Brody sick. The constant movement made it hard for Skye to keep a spot on the waiting list. Did they not realize that? Did Loretta think things were just going to work out for her like they always had?

This trip to visit Skye in the hospital was different. Loretta and Roger are already there, unusual since they usually drop Skye off and go off to do whatever. Roger’s smiling, so brightly in fact that it pissed Brody off to a new level.

“Why the hell are you smiling?” Brody snapped as soon as they met face to face, “you’re daughter’s dying and you’re acting like it’s the next best thing in the world.”

“That little girl earned me more business deals this month than ever. I’d say that’s a reason to smile.”

“You're going to kill her, you know, you moving her around isn’t helping her get her heart transplant. You’re messing up her space on the list. Boston isn’t going to prioritize Skye if they get a heart and here they can’t help her if she’s too far away.”

“Your point would be?”

“Stop moving her around. Let Nico and I watch her here if you have to leave on business. So if a heart comes up she can get the transplant.”

“You're so sentimental,” Roger laughed, “it hardly matters. After all children die all the time from things like this. You're too soft. I don’t understand why your father is insisting on leaving the Coffee Company to you rather than Loretta. Loretta understands the sacrifice that needs to be made in order to succeed in this world. Successful people don’t have time to think about sentiment, it makes us weak. Makes us lose focus of what is important. Success doesn’t reward the blight of a starving man my boy.”

“She’s your daughter.”

“Yes, but I could father another child if needed,” Roger shook his head as if it was obvious, “at this point it seems more logical. Why should I waste time on an investment with such a low rate of payback.”

“...you're doing it on purpose.” Brody realized with newfound anger, “you're trying to kill her.”

“No, no, I’m not trying. I’m simply going about my business as usual and letting fate decide. If fate decided that it’s not in the cards for us, then we’d simply try again. That’s how Crandalls work, boy, we take life in strides. We adapt and we use every setback as an opportunity.”

“That’s negligence! You won’t get away with that.”

“I will. After all I have the backing of the entire Crandall Law Office. What do you have?” Roger stepped forward, “nothing.”

“Your daughter’s dying and you’re trying to have another kid to replace her, what kind of sick fuck does that?”

“Mind your tongue or there will be hell to pay.”

“Brody, that’s enough,” Nico spoke up, “Let’s just go see Skye.”

“About that,” Roger smiled again, “you don’t get that privilege anymore. I don’t want you around my wife while we’re trying to conceive another kid. You might jinx us.”

“What did you say to my wife, you piece of shit?”

“I don’t want your wife’s bad luck to rub off on my wife. I don’t need to be delayed in having a child any more then we already are. I don’t see why you’re getting so upset, boy. Obviously a woman who can’t bear a child is useless. It’s her fault you’ll never have a child. What good is she? Other than pretending to play mom. Give it up. Skye isn’t yours. She’s my property and I will do whatever I like. That includes letting the nurses know that you two are no longer welcome.”

“Roger, please,”

“What’s that?” Roger gestured to the bag Nico held.

“It’s for Skye,” Nico pulled the stuffed animal from the bag. A patchwork voodoo bear that she had worked on especially for Skye. It seemed the young girl shared an interest in unusual and dark things like Nico had and the bear had been a special project, something Nico worked long hours on to create as a good luck charm, “I made it for her.”

“HA, what a pathetic looking thing. You really do think you can mom that girl. It’s probably your fault she’s dying anyway, after all there must be something wrong with you if you can’t have children of your own, so you’re trying to steal mine.”

Brody doesn’t know when his fist flew out and connected with Roger’s jaw. But that was the end of everything. They never got to see Skye again. Roger had a restraining order against Brody. And somehow, he had gotten every adoption agency in Cedar Cove to reject them.

***PRESENT DAY***

Skye felt sick to her stomach. It was light fighting back bail from rising above her throat. Bailey’s hand was still on her own, holding on tightly, the only little tether that prevented Skye from completely losing it. 

Everything that Brody had said, was it true?

Did you parents really care about her that little? There was a small part of her head that said yes and that small part was fighting with the other parts of her brain that wanted to deny it. It left Skye with a growing migraine forming behind her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Brody said suddenly, “that was too much at once. That’s my fault. In true Scotsman fashion I have no idea when to shut my mouth.”

“Thank you for taking the time to talk to us,” Ajay offered politely, “but I think we should get going.”

Brody moved to allow Ajay out of the booth. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry you had to listen to me go on and on like a grumpy old man. I… You two make sure she’s okay yeah?”

Skye can hear him, even if her mind is battling like a war-zone. Bailey gave Skye a gentle tug as she two stood up to move. The air in the cafe suddenly suffocated.

“She’s safe with us,” Ajay assured in his usual confident and protective tone.

“Thank you.”

It was a strange thing to say, but Brody seemed relieved at Ajay’s words. The trio left the warm little cafe, dark had already fallen across Cedar Cove, the air much colder than before. 

After a few steps, Bailey stopped and turned, wrapping Skye in a hug. The entire motion was sudden and Skye’s mind stopped spinning for a second to focus on Bailey’s warmth.

“It’s getting late,” Bailey’s voice was soft, her warm breath hitting the side of Skye’s face as she spoke, “let’s get home. I think a good night’s sleep is needed.”

“Agreed,” Ajay nodded as Bailey pulled away from Skye, taking her hand once again and gently leading her through Cedar Cove.

***

Despite Bailey’s kind words, Skye was unable to sleep at all that night. She kept thinking about the series of events Brody had told her. About her parents, about her health, about how her parents were so willing to replace her. 

Skye tried to forget about it, at least for today.

Jordan was watching their run-through today, free of the cast and upgrading to a boot that allowed him to goof around without the crutches. Jordan being there meant Micheal was there with him, trying to look unamused at his boyfriend’s antics, but failing miserably every time a genuine smile graced his face. Jordan was a good person, someone who seemed to glow with charisma and a bright smile to boot. Skye remembered hearing about him from Brian. It was clear why their personalities clashed so much. Jordan was so upbeat and inclusive, he got along with everyone. It kind of reminded Skye of Rory in a way.

Bailey and Rory were going through a scene together. They’ve worked on this particular scene for a while now. It was one that was very important to the climax of the play and Ajay was a little more frantic in making sure it was right. It was looking really good today. Bailey and Rory really were good together. Their characters were perfectly in sync the entire performance, Ajay’s wide smile was proof of that. Up until the ending scene, it was a single piece of art. It was easier to see that through some of this, Rory wasn’t acting. They felt the same way about Bailey as Eve felt for Abigail. It showed how genuine some of their lines came out. It showed in the way they moved and focused on Bailey as if there wasn’t a crowd around them.

“You guys were so good!” Jordan stood up clapping at the end of the final scene.

“I guess they were pretty good, it was our best run through yet.”

“Bailey and Rory, your chemistry was off the charts, and Sydney’s costumes look so great! And… Skye right? All of the lights and sound effects are spot on! And the set is so real and lifelike, I felt like I was in the play the entire time. Everything was so perfect. Maybe it was a good thing I stood on that wheeled box,” Jordan joked with a laugh. Trevor however spoke up from his spot.

“What wheeled box?”

“The one that was used during rehearsal.” Bailey offered up.

“Why was the wheel box used? We had the one without wheels in the back.”

“I couldn’t find it, I found the other one in the prop room.”

Trevor shook his head.

“That’s not possible, I put the one without wheels out myself. You would have to be blind to miss it, it was with everything else.”

“What are you implying?” Mr. Olson spoke up from his seat near the front.

“That the only was the wheeled box would have been used, is if Bailey grabbed it  _ intentionally _ .”


End file.
